


Life at Novus Olympus Academy

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Anal, Bondage, Bottom!Percy, D/s, Double Penetration, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Multi, Oral, Orgasm Denial, Polyamory, Sex Toys, Shounen-ai, Slash, Spanking, Threesome - M/M/M, Top!Nico, WWII veteran!Nico, breath play, but the gods are still real, captain of the swim-team!Percy, dom!Nico, over-protective big brother!Triton, quarterback!jason, sub!Percy, switch!Jason, the gods are (trying to be) good parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-04-16 12:45:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 68,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4625790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The gods exist, but the camps don't. Instead, there is a boarding school at the foot of Mount Olympus, where demigods are raised and trained in safety.</p><p>The Greeks have an Oracle, the Romans an augur.<br/>The Greeks have Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, the Romans have Jason Grace, son of Jupiter.<br/>The Greeks have Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, the Romans have Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto.<br/>The school is in balance, its leaders are a well-balanced choice of powerhouses.</p><p>That is, until two dead demigods escape through the Doors of Death with the help of their half-sister. How will Novus Olympus cope with having two children of Hades around? With the balance being tipped like that? And how will Bianca and Nico adjust to this school, to its rules and to its leaders?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Three Broken Boys

PJatO || LittleBigThreesome || Life at Novus Olympus Academy || LittleBigThreesome || PJatO

Title: Life at Novus Olympus Academy – Demigodly High School Fun

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; semi-alternate Universe

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, threesomes, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, doubling, D/s, light breath-play, orgasm denial, bondage, toys, spanking, self-esteem issues, past child-abuse, shoujo-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Nico/Jason/Percy

Side Pairings: Jason/Percy (established), Luke/Octavian, Ethan/Alabaster, Jake/Will, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse, Malcolm/Katie, Grover/Juniper, Bryce/Drew, Nathan/Gwen, Dakota/Leila, Michael/Calypso, Shane/Lacy, Lou/Miranda, Reyna/Piper, Bianca/Annabeth, Zeus/Hera, Hades/Persephone, Ares/Aphrodite, Thanatos/Triton, Lycaon/Lupa, Chiron/Chariclo

Percy Jackson Characters:

 _College Students_ : Thalia Grace, Octavian Simmons, Luke Castellan, Nathan McIntosh, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Lee Fletcher, Hylla Ramírez-Arellano, Kinzie Cohen, Phoebe Burge, Zoe Nightshade

 _Seniors_ : Clarisse la Rue, Jake Mason, Katie Gardner, Ethan Nakamura, Gwendolyn Ryder, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Michael Yew, Castor Liber, Pollux Liber, Butch Walker, Bryce Lawrence

 _Juniors_ : Perseus Jackson, Bianca di Angelo, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Grover Underwood, Juniper, Nyssa Black, Chris Rodriguez, Alabaster C. Torrington, Michael Kahale, Drew Tanaka, Sherman Potter, Mark Meyer, Clovis Daver

 _Sophomores_ : Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Piper McLean, Dakota Elle, Leila Fischer, Will Solace, Naomi Walters, Celyn Richards

 _Freshmen_ : Nico di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Cecil Rogers, Lou Ellen, Malcolm Cage, Miranda Gardner, Mitchell Logan, Lacy Hunnigan, Shane McNabb, Austin Barton, Kayla Hein, Hank Banks, Marcus Jones, Jacob Schmidt

 _Elementary School_ : Tyson, Ella, Christopher Clark, Harley Davis, Bobby Fillmore, Larry Lance

 _Animals_ : Small Bob, Mrs. O'Leary, Argentum, Aurum, Blackjack, Arion, Tempest, Scipio, Guido

Godly Characters/Staff of the Novus Olympus Academy: Zeus (mayor), Hera, Poseidon (PE/Swim Coach), Triton (Assistant Coach), Thanatos (Security), Hades (History), Persephone, Demeter (Biology), Ares (PE/Football Coach), Aphrodite (Cheerleading Coach/Art), Hephaestus (Mechanics), Athena (Literature/Librarian), Apollo (Music), Artemis (PE/Archery Coach), Hermes (Geography), Dionysus (Economy), Nemesis (Math), Hecate (Chemistry), Eris (Physics), Hestia (Counselor), Lupa (Roman Principal), Lycaon (Roman Vice-Principal), Chiron (Greek Principal), Chariclo (Greek Vice-Principal), Iapetus/Bob (Janitor)

Summary: In a world with demigods, but without the camps. There is a boarding school on Olympus, where demigods live, train and learn. The Greeks are led by Thalia Grace, the Romans by Jason Grace. The Greeks have Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, the Romans have Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. There is a balance between the Big Three and between Romans and Greeks. That balance completely tips off when Nico and Bianca are brought back from the dead by their half-sister.

**Life at Novus Olympus Academy**

_Demigodly High School Fun_

_Chapter 1: Three Broken Boys_

Percy had his backpack shouldered, his Letterman jacket tied around his waist. He contemplated skipping English literature – Lady Athena was generally a pain in the ass anyway and he already missed most of it thanks to the student council meeting. The perks of being the local son of Poseidon. As much as those student council meetings were a pain in the ass, at least they meant he could get out of some of his classes due to them taking entirely longer than anticipated.

The decision was taken from him when he was pulled into the janitor's closet without a warning. He would have yelped, but a firm hand clasped over his mouth. The other hand was around his throat, not choking him but tight enough to hold him in place and excite him. Jason was damn lucky that Percy recognized his summer-breeze scent and the way those calloused fingers fit around his throat, because otherwise, Jason would already be face-first on the floor with at least one broken arm. Knowing it was his boyfriend however, Percy played along. He could hear how Jason closed the door loudly and then pressed Percy against the cold steel-door face-first. Sure that Percy wasn't going to scream and now realized it was him, Jason slipped his hand from Percy's mouth down to his crotch, palming Percy's erection slowly yet firmly through the denim.

"What brings this on?", panted Percy, arching into the touch.

"No talking", growled Jason, biting Percy's jugular hard. "Naughty boys don't get to talk."

"Naughty?", echoed Percy ridiculed, arching one eyebrows. "I don't remember-"

The grip on his throat tightened and the hand palming his half-hard member stopped to go around Percy's waist to slap his ass pretty hard. Percy jumped at first. Jason wasn't one for spankings, regardless of just how much Percy begged for them. As much as Jason loved to control Percy, he didn't particularly like hurting Percy. Regardless of how much Percy insisted that a spanking wasn't exactly _hurting_ him and that he very much wanted it. So this? Meant Jason was pissed.

"You know how much I _hate_ it when you side with _Castellan_ ", growled Jason irritated.

He slapped him again, harder and on the other cheek. Percy shuddered pleased. Yes, he knew just how much Jason hated it when Percy sided with Luke during a student council meeting. Which was one of the main reasons why Percy did it. The fact aside that the Greeks often stuck together.

The Novus Olympus Academy was not like any ordinary school. It wasn't even just one school. It was a pentagon layout of six buildings – five of them surrounding the central building. Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college. All five institutes around the building with cafeteria, library, teacher's lounge, gym and indoor pool. Surrounding those five buildings were the dormitories, always lining up with the corresponding school building.

The layout and structure of the school was not what made it oh-so special and unique however. No, the location, staff and student body were what made it so unique. Novus Olympus laid at the foot of Mount Olympus, in the realm of the ancient gods. Who were the teachers. And their demigodly children were the students. Many things had changed since the ancient times when the gods used to be worshiped and their heroic demigod children were loved by mortals. Things had been a bit rough over the past centuries, so the gods had adjusted how they went about things. Mortals forgot about gods and monsters and demigods, so demigods had to hide too. The academy was build on Olympus to keep the demigods safe. They learned from the gods directly, most of the time the minor gods of whom there were hundreds, but often the Olympians themselves would teach a class or two. It was important to form a bond between the gods and their children, a way to create loyalty.

The gods had sired children as both Romans and Greeks, so the student body was in a way split. And so was the student council. Five Greek members and five Roman members, to make it even.

The augur Octavian Simmons, seer of the Romans, as well as his Greek-counterpart the Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, were two members. It had always been tradition to have someone who foretold the future in the society of heroes and in those important positions, they also had to be part of the student council. The biggest part of the council was taken up by the children of the Big Three. Just like their godly parents, they took to being rulers and leaders. The Romans had Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, as well as Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. The Greeks on the other hand had Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, and Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. The four most powerful demigods in existence. Seeing as those four had become council members by sheer blood-relation, both sides also had two voted-in-members. Those selected leaders were, on the Greek side, Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. The Romans countered them with Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, and Frank Zhang, son of Mars.

Which brought Percy back to the now. He and Jason were both members of the student council, seeing as they were both sons of two of the Big Three. But Percy's foremost loyalty still laid with Thalia, Luke, Annabeth and Rachel – his fellow Greeks. The problem at hand however was that Luke was an incredibly flirty person, so whenever Percy was agreeing with Luke, Jason saw it as Percy openly agreeing to Luke's flirting. Which was utter bullshit and Percy knew that deep down, Jason knew that too. Still, the jealous Roman always reacted strongly to student council meetings.

Percy groaned blissfully as Jason finally peeled the jeans down to pool around Percy's ankles. As nice as being groped was, he preferred proper sex. He could hear Jason behind him unzipping his own jeans and grab the lube – the janitor's closet was unused and the couple had claimed it as theirs months ago, because in a boarding school where everyone had a roommate, privacy was entirely too scarce so one had to be creative about a place to share those stolen hours. His breath hitched when two slick fingers entered him, wiggling around and scissoring him. Jason was impatient today. Percy liked that. A lot. The fingers retreated and grasped his hips in a bruising manner, causing Percy to moan. He loved everything that left marks, both on his own and on his lover's body. Taking a shaky breath, Percy braced himself against the door, pushing his ass out some more for better access. It only took Jason a moment to push in, movement harsh and unforgiving. Percy knew he'd be feeling that all day long. The thought made him grin like a hungry tiger. Jason's thrusts were harsh, short and nearly erratic. They mirrored just how agitated the blonde really was and it nearly made Percy feel bad for provoking Jason. But then again, not really.

"J—Jay", gasped Percy, craning his neck to throw his lover a pleading look.

He sighed relieved when Jason wrapped one hand around Percy's dick, picking up the speed of his thrusts even more. The relief got stuck in Percy's throat when all Jason did was choke him tightly. The Roman bit his neck again, sucking and chewing to leave a large mark.

"Did I say _anything_ about you coming?", grunted Jason with one cocked eyebrow.

Okay, now Percy did regret. A lot. He still had a hard time reading Jason, knowing how far he could push his blonde to get the delicious punishments and when he was pushing Jason too hard and got the kind that sucked. Like being fucked to an inch of his life without coming. He pouted a bit.

"C—Come on", whined Percy, baring his neck in submission and as a peace-offering. "Please?"

"Mh... You're gorgeous when you're begging", purred Jason, licking up Percy's pulse. "But no."

Whimpering softly, Percy rested his forehead against the door. Only a couple of thrusts later and Jason came deep inside of him. Another whimper escaped his lips at that, he always loved the feeling of being filled with his lover's warm seed. Normally, that was his favorite feeling to come to. Sadly, Jason was not going to allow that today. Damn it. They stayed braced against the door for a couple of moments, both panting and taking in the aftermath. When Jason backed off, Percy found himself left on shaky legs. He wasn't a big fan of sex while standing, really. It always tore at him.

"You okay?", asked Jason softly, the wild hunger gone from his electric blue eyes.

Percy nodded numbly as his blonde gathered him up in his arms. It wasn't that he particularly enjoyed being manhandled, but he did like that Jason was capable of doing it. If that made sense. Sometimes, Percy didn't even make sense to himself, so there was that. Jason cautiously carried him over to their nest. Seeing as the high school didn't have a janitor – the last one, some minor god, had been driven to sheer insanity by the united force of the Stoll brothers teaming up with one Leo Valdez. No one stood a chance against that union of mischief. The distinctive lack of a janitor had been used to the couple's advantage and they had gotten pretty comfortable in the janitor's closet at this point. One corner was entirely covered in soft blankets and fluffy pillows and that was exactly where Jason slowly laid Percy down now. The blonde followed after getting a box of tissues. He started cleaning himself and Percy up while simultaneously showering Percy's face and torso with soft butterfly kisses. A pink blush spread over Percy's cheeks, as it always did at this stage.

"You were amazing", whispered Jason tenderly between kisses. "Awesome. Gods, I love you. I'm so glad to have you and that you put up with me and my moods. You know I don't mean to tell you what to do, but it just... gets my blood boiling when you make those googly eyes at Castellan and fuck, I just love you so much. You're so good, so good for me, so good, babe."

Percy hummed softly to show that he was listening while closing his eyes and basking in the aftermath of their fucking. Things between them were semi-complicated. Meaning, to Percy they were complicated, but at times he doubted that Jason was even half-aware of that.

Back when they had started, it had been pure hate-sex. Percy had sort of ruled the high school since he joined, because he was the son of Poseidon and he had been the only child of the Big Three back then. Everybody adored him and fawned over him and then the Graces had come a year ago – two children of the king of kings. Jason and Percy had not gotten along. They clashed all the time. One time, they clashed face-first and it had been the most brutal kiss Percy could imagine. Hate-sex ensued to get rid of the aggression. Percy needed it. Hadn't realized just how much. It had been exactly what he had needed. It was pure, animalistic, painful. In a way, it was punishment.

Percy was good at that. At punishing himself. Years of abuse at his stepfather's hands had left him pretty much emotionally crippled, really. Most people, when they were told they were worthless, a failure, a walking disappointment, they managed to shrug it off. He had too, at one point. But if you're told that exact same thing over and over and over again for years, growing up with it, well, Percy had started taking in his surroundings. Other children at school used to call him names and laugh at him, make fun of him. He had no friends growing up, the only one who loved him had been his mother. So the first years with Gabe, Percy had believed his mother. His mother loved him, told him he was special and precious, surely she was right. But the older he grew, the harsher Gabe's words became and the more aware Percy became of the fact that he had no friends, that others at school avoided him, that even teachers seemed to dislike him. So he accepted it. He accepted that Gabe must be right, that he was too worthless to deserve friends.

But then, one shiny day when Percy had been twelve, he was approached by a boy. His name was Grover and the others picked at him just as much as they did with Percy. No one wanted anything to do with the brunette just because he could be weird and was walking on crutches, but Percy didn't understand that. Grover wanted to spend time with Percy, Grover wanted to be Percy's friend – Grover was the most amazing person on this planet, right after Sally and Tyson. The very first friend Percy made and Percy fought tooth and nail to protect Grover from the bullies. He didn't care if he ended up with a black eyes or a swollen wrist, as long as he could defend his only friend.

Of course things weren't that easy. Grover hadn't been there for Percy, well, he had been, but not for the sake of just being Percy's friend. Grover assured Percy that their friendship was genuine, but still Percy sometimes found himself doubtful. Was Grover only friends with him out of pity after they had met back then? Grover wasn't a regular boy. He was a satyr, he had been send by the gods, because as much as Sally Jackson had fought tooth and nail to keep Percy with her in the mortal world, with two children of Poseidon, life in the mortal world was too dangerous. And at the time, Tyson had been four, slowly started to smell delicious for monsters. Sally didn't want to let them go, was so desperate to keep her boys with her. And then a monster had attacked them. Percy didn't even remember what monster it had been, if he was being honest. He just remembered grabbing Tyson and running, because that was what his mother had ordered him to do. The look of sheer horror in his mother's eyes in those last moments, he would never forget that.

So Tyson and Percy moved to Olympus, after their mother's funeral. It had been scary at first, but what had made them weird in the mortal world made them rockstars in the mythological world. The only children of one of the Big Three. The first person Percy had met there had been Annabeth Chase, who truly loved being in charge of everything. She had assigned them their room back then. Seaweed brain. Kelp brain. Anything meaning that Percy was stupid. Apparently Athena and Poseidon didn't quite get along and neither did they at first. But then Annabeth had become Percy's first friend since Grover. She still called him a seaweed brain, but that was okay, Percy was used to being called stupid – and who wasn't stupid compared to the child of wisdom herself?

All of a sudden, Percy had friends. So many friends. Grover and Annabeth still watched out for him, because apparently Percy didn't know how to distinguish between true friends and those who were after his status as son of Poseidon. It was confusing, really. For a boy who had never had any friends before to suddenly have people who wanted to be friends with him simply for his name. Still gave him a headache at times, if he was being honest.

That was that. For years, Percy had been told he was worthless and whenever he was with his friends, laughing and having fun, there was this voice in the back of his head that sounded like Gabe and told him that he didn't deserve it. So the aggressive sex with Jason had been Percy punishing himself, in a way. For taking something he didn't deserve, for bothering the others with his dumbness, for making those amazing people endure him. The pain was good, it kept him going, reminded him that he was still alive and fighting. He liked the pain, it was simple and he understood it. He did something to upset his boyfriend, Jason would punish him for it. That was simple, it was logical, it made sense to him. Unlike Annabeth, who would get all agitated and instead of hitting him or anything, she'd just heave an exasperated sigh and ruffle his hair. He didn't understand that.

Then again, there was something about Jason and their aggressive sex that Percy didn't understand either, not really. This moment, right now, to be more specific. When they finished up sex, Jason didn't just walk away, satisfied and pleased. He'd clean Percy up and pepper him with kisses and shower him with all those _words_. Tell him how wonderful he was and how lucky Jason was to have him and how grateful he was that Percy let him do all of this. He always asked if he had gone too far, with that fearful gleam in his eyes. Not that Jason had ever gone too far. Not that Percy knew what 'too far' even meant. But Jason always watched out. He hurt Percy, but somehow... not in a bad way. Again something Percy didn't really understand. It hurt, but it hurt so good. It never left any permanent damage, the worst that happened was that Percy would be sore. But Jason always made sure not to truly harm him and he'd fuss so much afterward still, as though he was actually afraid to cause any serious harm to Percy. Yet again something that didn't quite make sense to Percy. Neither did Percy understand just _why_ this felt so good. This, just laying there and listening to Jason as Jason told him how wonderful he was and how happy he made Jason. It made his heart speed up and his cheeks darken and he suspected he had a very special very dopey grin reserved for those occasions – and it just didn't make any sense. He knew, deep down, that it wasn't true. That he wasn't special. For a little while, Grover, Annabeth, Luke, Clarisse, Silena, Beckendorf and the others nearly made him believe it, after he came to Novus Olympus. That he was the son of Poseidon and thus something special. But then the Graces came and he had been replaced like an old toy and he realized that even this didn't make him special enough. Yes, those Annabeth called his true friends were still there, but to the rest of school he became the second fiddle. Because he wasn't special. Wasn't special enough. And that was alright, because out of whatever reasons, Jason loved him and held him and told him all those amazing lies – so it was alright. Until someone more special would come around and Jason would realize that he could do better. And if that happened, then that beacon of brilliantly bright hope would be gone and he'd be alone again.

"Stop thinking", ordered Jason in a soft yet firm voice as he cupped Percy's chin up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "You're making that face again. The sad one I don't like. Stop it."

Percy gave a throaty laugh and snuggled up closer to Jason. Heaving a sigh, Jason hugged his boyfriend even closer, burying his nose in the soft, fluffy hair. He loved that hair. Right after Percy's incredibly expressive eyes with that ridiculously amazing color, his hair was Jason's favorite thing. Because it was always messy – even when Silena, Gwen _and_ Piper teamed up to try and tame it. It was also always soft and it smelt so wonderfully like the beach, all natural due to Percy's heritage. There was maybe one thing Jason didn't like about his boyfriend and that were the scars littering Percy's body. Most were from fighting monsters, but many weren't. And Jason didn't pry. And Jason _hated_ himself for not prying, because he loved Percy so, so, _so_ much. But regardless of how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to ask. Not about the scars, not about that sad expression that he hated so much. Mainly because he had his own scars and probably also his own expression of sadness that he didn't want others to pry into – not even Percy. Because Percy was broken, somehow from the inside, and he needed Jason to be strong for him. That was what they did. So Jason couldn't bare his soul – and if he couldn't bare his own soul, he had no right to demand it of Percy. So all he could do was hold Percy and tell him how perfect and precious he was.

Jason knew about scars. He had his own, the ones he prayed no one would ask about, the ones he and Thalia had sworn to hide from everybody. Their mother had never been able to recover from being dumped by the king of gods. She drank and when she drank, she got nasty. Insulting Jason and Thalia, cursing them for being a constant reminder of their father. She never beat them up, but she liked throwing things after them. Especially empty bottles. The sound of shattering glass always made Jason jump in pure fear. The others made fun of it, because they didn't understand. And Jason didn't want them to understand. Coming to Novus Olympus had brought him so many friends and admirers and here he was the son of Jupiter, the prince and hero and leader. He couldn't let them know how weak he was. And he had promised it Thalia, because she too had made friends here, for the first time the siblings didn't feel _weak_ , they felt strong. Letting the others know about their past would mean their past would loom over them every time of the day. They couldn't. They just couldn't. They weren't strong enough to endure it. Jason's tongue absentmindedly traced the scar on his lip. When he had been a few months old, his mother had first thrown a bottle after him and being a naive little child, he took one of the glass shards and was in the process of sticking it into his mouth. It had terrified Thalia beyond measurement, or so she had told him. Ever since that day, Thalia had been more than his sister. She had become his guardian, guide and protector. And when she pleaded with him to keep their secret, then he owed it to her to shoulder it.

"And he's asleep", whispered Jason to himself, a fond smile on his lips.

Percy made this little sound when he was asleep. It wasn't exactly a snoring, it sounded more like a kitten's purring. Jason loved that sound. He loved it so much, because it was just so cute and so Percy – because Percy never did things the way others did. Not even snoring. Leaning down, Jason placed a tender kiss on Percy's lips and pulled the blanket closer around them both. Sometimes, he couldn't even fathom how much he loved this boy. Percy was so bright, when he smiled, everyone had to smile. He was enchanting and energetic and bright and brilliant – he was quite literally the light of Jason's life. Shining brighter than hope itself. That was what Jason loved the most.

/Flashback | Venice, Italy, 1940\

"Y—You can't be serious, brother! You're fifteen! You're _not_ joining the army!"

The distressed Italian girl was beautiful, long, black curls framing her body as her pitch-black eyes bore into those of her two-years-younger brother. The boy in front of her wore a backpack, ready to leave home for good, knowing that joining the war could mean he'd never return.

"I have no other option, sorellona", replied the boy, staring firmly past her over her shoulder.

"S—Someone, stop him!", pleaded his sister, close to tears. "Please... this is your death sentence..."

He gave her a sly smile and with a flick of his wrist, he whirled black shadows around his hand. "It so happens that death is what I dabble in, huh? Listen, please. I have to do this. I just have to."

A woman, the resemblance to both children impossible to deny, approached them. She looked so worn out, tears streaming down her cheeks as she grasped the boy's face and kissed his cheeks.

"Niccoló", whispered the woman softly, so much conveying with that simple name.

"Zia Elena", murmured Nico and pulled the woman into a tight hug. "Grazie mille..." [trans: _Aunt Elena. Thank you very much..._ ]

The woman – the children's aunt – offered him a pained smile. "Mi mancherai. Stai attento, mh?" [trans: _I will miss you. Be careful, mh?_ ]

Nico nodded firmly and turned back toward his big sister. But she wasn't there anymore. She hung back with their grandmother, crying into her lap. Grandma Francesca smiled sadly at him, grandpa Antonio standing behind her chair however had a proud look on his face. Nico knew that if he would still be in shape for it, he would march out there and lead an army. He had done so during the first World War. First. The thought made Nico's heart speed up with slight panic. This, this what was brewing right now, it would be the second. Nico could smell it in the air. The scent of death. Millions and millions of deaths. He assumed it came with being a son of Hades.

He was a son of Hades. A child of one of the Greek gods. There were others like him – Nico shook his head. He wasn't joining the army to fight alongside his half-brothers. Even at age fifteen, he could see that they were beyond redemption at this point. He also wouldn't fight alongside the children of Zeus and Poseidon though. Zeus himself had made this war Nico's business and he would _fight_. Fight to protect his family. Hades had come, wanted to take Nico's mother, sister and him to the US. But Zeus didn't want him there. The US was his territory, ruled by his son. He didn't want the enemy there and he had shown that quite clearly when killing Nico's mother. Their father had tried to hide them away in some hotel, but Nico was too clever – and too obsessed with Greek mythology. Just like Theseus, he had used yarn to find his way back out. They fled back home into the awaiting arms of their grandparents and aunt and all they could do was watch how a cruel war started to rise at the horizon, like dawn. Inevitable, overshadowing it all.

Nico would become a soldier, he would train hard and become the strongest. And then he would return to the US and he would take his revenge on Zeus himself. Where else would he get the proper training for that but in the army? And with the dawning of war, they were desperate. Age didn't matter as much as it probably should, they just didn't look twice. And even though Nico may have been a scrawny child once, he was fifteen and relatively tall for his age. He had something most others didn't though. Absolute conviction. He had a goal and he would fight for it until he'd drop dead – and even afterward. His big sister Bianca liked to say he was like a dog with a bone. He wouldn't let again, not ever. He was going to train from the gray morning hours to the dark nighttime, harder than any other soldier, until he was ready for the true battle.

Because unlike those mortals, he knew something important. They were even less than soldiers, they were pawns. Pawns to the gods. Pawns to be used in their schemes and games. And Nico would make them suffer for it. He didn't know how, not quite yet, but he would figure it out.

All he needed was time. Time to find Zeus' weakness. Time to form a proper plan.

It was dark outside as Nico made his way. Then again, for him it was always dark. He was the son of darkness, death and the depth of hell itself, wasn't he? There was no light for people like him. His mother had been the brightest in his life, but then Zeus had taken her away from him.

There was no light for Nico di Angelo. He was an angel, perhaps, but certainly not one of the heavens. He was an angel of death and vengeance and those didn't deserve the light of hope. But that was okay. He only had his family and he would fight for them, so one day Bianca could find the light he would never get. He'd give his life for that chance. No, he was giving his life for that.


	2. The Swimmer and the Quarterback

_Chapter 2: The Swimmer and the Quarterback_

"Good practice, captain", grunted Frank and clapped Jason on the back.

"I would like it if you'd go easy on us just one time", complained Chris next to them.

"What was that? You want to run another ten laps? Did I hear that right?", asked Jason.

Chris' eyes widened comically as he shook his head wildly. "N—No! Totally fine, your leadership is awesome and your training schedule is perfect! And I have a date with Clarisse in an hour. If I miss that, she will grill me. Have some mercy, man. You'd suffer too."

Jason shuddered and nodded slowly. He had made the mistake of letting practice run late on a day Clarisse and Chris wanted to go on a date once and the fierce daughter of Ares had made Jason's life a living hell for a week straight. He was not going to repeat that experience. In fact, he especially took looks at Chris' private plans when planning their practices. That woman was a force to be reckoned with and even the great son of Jupiter was afraid of her. Partially because Clarisse was also very close friends with Percy and she was fiercely protective of her 'panda baby'. Jason grinned softly at that thought. Back when Percy and his little brother had first arrived at Novus Olympus, Percy had this panda pillow pet and his very cute and very naive little brother brought it to Percy one day and claimed that his big brother couldn't sleep without his panda. Sadly enough for Percy, Clarisse and some of the others had been present. Since then, Clarisse liked to call Percy the panda baby. It never failed to make the pretty son of Poseidon all flustered and pouty.

"Are you thinking about me, Jay?", whispered a voice into his ear. "You got that look on your face."

Jason, who by now had managed to shed his clothes and get in the shower, jumped slightly. Turning his head, he glared at the broadly grinning Sea Prince. Percy was naked and already wet as he stood behind Jason. Laying his arms around Jason's waist, Percy leaned in to bite the blonde's shoulder.

"Ouch", hissed Jason with a glare. "Stop leaving bite-marks all over me all the time."

"Not happening", chimed Percy, kissing the bite-mark. "Gotta mark what's mine. Wouldn't want anyone to get any wrong ideas. All of this glorious quarterback is all mine."

Snorting softly to himself, Jason turned around to face the other boy. Percy was freezing cold, causing Jason to pull him closer and under the warm stream of the shower. Percy hummed contently and snuggled up to Jason, resting his head on the blonde's chest and relaxing some.

"You're irresponsible", sighed Jason, head resting on top of Percy's. "You can't always swim for hours in that freezing cold water. Come here, my silly little mermaid."

Percy huffed and tightened his grip on Jason's waist. "I'm the captain. Gotta train more than all others to set a good example. I have to... I have to be the best, I'm the captain after all..."

Jason frowned concerned, running his fingers through Percy's hair in a soothing manner. "You're the son of Poseidon. You're the best there is, love. You don't need to try so hard, mh?"

"I'm the son of Poseidon, but... that won't do me any good in a tournament", muttered Percy, resting his ear above Jason's heart. "That son of Aegir beat me like I'm a one-finned fish last time."

Jason growled, in that protective way he sometimes did when Percy was involved. "You can't _always_ win, Perce. You're amazing, but you're not invincible. And that guy's a douche."

"You're just pouty because Magnus beat your team last year too", teased Percy softly.

"Don't remind me. Annabeth's cousin is also a douche. I think it's a Norse-thing, being a douche. Damn those Norse", huffed Jason, kissing the top of Percy's hair. "This year, we Graeco-Romans will win on all accounts. But that doesn't mean you have to work yourself to death. Come on, turn around, let me soap you up. You need to relax some, or you'll cramp up, babe."

Who was Percy to decline that? Turning his back on Jason, he enjoyed the calloused, firm fingers working his hard muscles, trying to ease the knots out while soaping him up with the honey-scented soap Percy liked so much. Closing his eyes in pure bliss, he just enjoyed the moment.

"Carter said Walt's team is really good this year, so you should watch out for the Egyptians before acting like the Norse are no problem", warned Percy and groaned relieved. "Yes, that's the spot."

"You and Carter are like gossipy little girls", teased Jason with a grin as he pushed Percy back under the warm spray of water. "I still think that this symbiotic thing the Egyptians have going on with their gods is seriously weird. I mean, what is it? Some kind of... like, mate-bond-thing?"

"I try not to think about it", hummed Percy with a teasing smile. "As long as it works for them."

"Are you two done soon? Because there are like three sports teams worth of demigods that want to take a shower after our merciless captains chased us around for hours!", called Mike out loudly.

"You can go and swim another ten laps, if you like, Mike", retorted Percy loudly.

/break\

"How are my favorite girls doing this fine afternoon?"

"Someone got laid today", muttered Annabeth, half teasing and half affectionate.

Percy grinned largely as he entered the bedroom of his girls. Every dormitory room held three beds, desks and wardrobes, a couch and a bathroom. Rachel the Oracle, the Roman leader Reyna and the Greek leader Annabeth all shared one room. The blonde daughter of Athena laid with her feet resting in Reyna's lap while her head was hung over two books. Grinning broadly, Percy plunged down on the couch, right next to Rachel. The redhead smiled and patted Percy's head.

"You've been working yourself to death again, haven't you?", inquired Reyna, arching one eyebrow up as she looked at Percy questioningly. "Pipes said she saw you during cheerleading training this morning and I saw you when me and Clarisse were training earlier."

"Your girlfriend is a snitch", huffed Percy and wiggled his nose. "No need to get on my case. Jay already did. I shouldn't work myself so hard, I'm already good enough, all that jazz."

"Yes and now we only need you to actually _believe_ it", sighed Annabeth, looking up worried.

Percy flinched and adjusted himself on the couch. His friends always worried about him, wanted him to believe what they saw in him, yet he couldn't even begin to understand why they saw those things to begin with. He wasn't good enough. He had failed last year's tournament, only made silver when he should have made gold, when everyone expected him to make gold. He was torn from his thoughts when a cold snout nosed his hand. Blinking a couple of times, he looked down at Aurum and Argentum, the golden and silver metal dogs Leo Valdez had made for her. They were Reyna's pride and joy. It had been Leo's way of approving of her relationship with Leo's very best sister-like friend Piper. The two dogs were meant to protect both of the girls.

"Who's a cute, little silver-pup? Yes you are, yes you are", cooed Percy with a large grin.

Annabeth huffed and rolled her eyes, a fond expression on her face. She knew Percy was troubled, had been since they had first met. Annabeth should know, she had been the one to supervise the newbie back then and she had seen the injuries and the way he flinched at every touch. It took months for him to get rid of that habit. But it was apparent to the daughter of Athena what must have happened to Percy before. It was why she was extra-protective over the boy, watching out that only the right people got to befriend Percy. There were many black sheep among demigods, those who only sought out attention and fame. Percy deserved better. It was too bad that Percy didn't seem to see that. Sitting up some, she threw a pillow at Percy to get his attention.

"Let's go outside. You can't spend all your time in the basement with the pool", ordered Annabeth.

Half an hour later had Rachel, Reyna, Annabeth and Percy sprawled out in the sun under the golden apple tree. They were soon joined by Jason, Leo and Frank, as though the three boys had some kind of radar for where to find them. Then again, knowing Leo, the little tinkerer probably had trackers implanted in all of them. Jason smiled as he sat down so he could place Percy's head in his lap.

"He needs some sun. He'll grow fins if he stays in the water and dark any longer", explained Rachel with a large smile as the boys got comfortable with them. "Where's Reyna's better half?"

Reyna made an undignified sound, but she still looked expectantly at Leo. The Latino snickered at that and pulled a deck of cards out while snuggling up to his boyfriend Frank. The son of Mars laid one possessive arm around Leo's waist while Leo shuffled the cards. Annabeth, Rachel and Reyna sat in a circle with the two boys while Jason was too busy cuddling his Percy to pay attention.

"Piper is with Hazel. You know, I'm short of being jealous, she spends so much time with my girlfriend", huffed Leo with the slightest pout. "Always stealing my Hazel away..."

"Our Hazel", grunted Frank, jabbing Leo playfully in the side.

"I like lazy afternoons like this", whispered Percy to stop a fight, eyes closed in happiness.

His friends turned to look at him with various smiles. He may hide it from them, but to different degrees, they all knew he was broken, one way or another. Not because Percy was weak or breaking down publicly, but rather because the opposite was the case. He worked harder than anyone else at school, trained more – on the swim-team and in the sword-classes. He always smiled – always. He was always that strong shoulder for them all to lean on. It wasn't hard to conclude that Percy was trying to prove himself, to himself and to his peers. He wanted to be strong, to be loved and accepted, not to burden anyone. Those things hadn't been obvious right from the start, but the longer they were friends, the closer they got and the more they noticed. All of them wanted for Percy to be actually happy and to actually smile. Most of them couldn't tell the fake smiles from the real ones, only Annabeth, Silena and Jason knew how to distinguish between them. The problem was that asking Percy about it, prodding him for answers, it only chased him away. Annabeth, Grover and Leo had all tried it by now, but Percy would shut down, plaster the most fake smiles on and practically not talk to anyone for days to come; at least no real conversations.

"Yeah? And what's the best part about lazy afternoons?", asked Rachel softly.

"Mh... everything...", concluded Percy after a thoughtful pause. "The sun, the fresh air, being together with all of you... Yeah, I could spend every day like this..."

"Me too", agreed Jason with a tender smile, playing with Percy's fluffy hair.

And he meant it. He loved their friends too, after all. And being a son of Jupiter, he did prefer to be under the open sky. The most important part however was because it was one of the moments when Percy looked truly happy, when he looked the way he should – as though he loved his life and thought he deserved all of this. Jason would give everything to always see this look on his Percy's face. He looked just so serene. No self-doubt, no dark thoughts, nothing bad. Just happiness.

/break\

"I would love for you to _not_ damage my best friend, augur."

Octavian made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded like 'I really don't care what you have to say about this, daughter of Zeus' (a feat only Octavian accomplished, really). Thalia grunted and rolled her eyes at that. The boy walking between them was limping, but he also looked like a pleased cat after a good canary feast. Thalia and Luke had their fingers linked, while Octavian had one possessive arm wound around Luke's waist, glowering expression still in place.

"I do not condone to my boyfriend flirting with the little siren", hissed Octavian lowly.

Thalia rolled her eyes yet again as the trio headed out of the university building and toward the dining hall. The student council meeting yesterday had gone without a hitch, aside from Luke winking at Percy and making innuendos all the time. Things had imploded when Percy decided to offer Luke a smile and agree to some very, very unimportant detail during one of the discussions. It had impressed Thalia that their possessive boyfriends didn't drag them out of the room and back to their dorms like cavemen in that very instant. Entering the dining hall, Thalia led her two stubborn blondes over to the table where her other two blondes – her beloved little brother Jason and her very dear as-good-as-a-sister Annabeth – were already sitting. Both looked up at them and smiled and waved. The five of them were like a family. Luke and Annabeth had always been that way, apparently, even before the Graces had entered the picture. Apparently, Luke and Annabeth had arrived at Novus Olympus together, many years ago, after having lived on the streets.

"Jackson", growled Octavian, glaring at the son of Poseidon.

"Castellan", growled Jason, glaring at Luke as the three new arrivals sat down.

"Men are so primitive", sighed Piper exasperated as she approached from behind and squeezed in between Reyna and Annabeth, stealing a kiss from her girlfriend. "Makes me glad to be a lesbian."

Reyna laughed into their kiss, resting one hand in the nape of Piper's neck. Annabeth pouted and scooted over to make more room. Percy next to her smiled and nudged her, which only made her pout deliberately so this time, to gain a laugh from her best friend.

"You didn't bring our girlfriend. Why didn't you bring our girlfriend?", complained Leo.

"Hazel said she had something else to do", shrugged Piper, stealing from Reyna's and Annabeth's plates. "Honestly, the girl is being... well... weirder than usual, which is saying a lot for a kid of Pluto, huh? You two need to find a way to distract her from... whatever it is she's up to."

"I think they shouldn't", hummed Rachel with a knowing smile. "It'll be good, in the end."

"I hate when she does that. Don't you hate when she does that?", muttered Jason and shuddered.

"Gives me the heeby-jeebies", agreed Thalia with a short nod.

The others just laughed at that and continued dinner. It was a regular thing for Rachel to be cryptic, was part of the whole oracle-deal, after all. But they had stopped trying to decipher it. Most of the time, it was better to let things run its course instead of interfering anyway.

/break\

After dinner, Percy managed to dodge another make-out session with Jason, because Thalia demanded some one-on-one sibling-time, which was fine, because Mike and the rest of his team had forced him out of the pool before his own training schedule had been concluded for the day. Rolling his shoulders for a last time, he dove right into the pool. He had to push himself. Sure, he was the best at their school, but he was also the only son of Poseidon. But the Norse team had a daughter of Njörd and a son of Aegir. Magnus had informed him that even a son of Ran had enrolled at Midgard High this year and wanted to join the swim-team. The Germanic team had a daughter of Nicor, who had been pretty en par with Percy last time and given him a run for his money. The Celtics had that damn son of Dylan and a daughter of Lir, who had been pretty impressive last year too. According to Carter, Pharaoh High had an incarnation of Amathaunta to back up the incarnation of Sobek. The point at hand was that all the medal-winning schools around had more than one child of the sea on their teams. Novus Olympus was barely hanging in with that competition and it was all up to Percy – there weren't children of Triton or Amphitrite or Galene or at the very least a minor river god. Percy was the heart of their team, he was carrying the major weight of every competition. If he didn't give more than his best, they may lose what little grip they had on hanging in with their major rival schools. So he had to work harder than anyone, because winning medals for the swim team was the only thing that still made him valuable to the school, to the others. At least one thing where he could prove his worth somehow.

"Didn't I instruct the team to drag you out of this pool three hours ago?"

Percy was panting hard, chest hurting as he resurfaced. He could hold his breath longer than humans, way longer. But not forever either. For a higher effect during competitions however, he was trying to push his limits. He needed to improve. His lungs burned and his vision was slightly blurred at the edges as he looked up at the assistant coach of the team, who looked down at him with the most disapproving glare ever. Trying to catch his breath, Percy looked at his half-brother.

"Get out of the water _now_ , or so help me father, I will drag you out by your feet and tie you to your bed so you _rest_ , as I instructed you to do this morning", growled Triton disapprovingly.

"You're... worse... than... dad...", panted Percy as he climbed out of the pool with shaky legs.

"Someone has to", muttered Triton, looking Percy up and down. "Father is all 'Oh, my boy is having fun swimming, let him swim when it makes him happy!'..."

"He's not _that_ soft on me", objected Percy and rolled his eyes.

"That is literally what he said last week", stated Triton, laying a fluffy bathrobe around Percy's shoulders. "Training isn't effective if you train every day, all the time. Your muscles need rest."

"I don't have the time to waste on rest. Besides, I go to classes during the week, so that's plenty of rest from training", muttered Percy beneath his breath, snuggling into the bathrobe. "Can't you go and bug your big birdie and leave me to train? I still have three more hours planned."

Triton's glare hardened as his cheeks heated up. "It's _Lord_ Thanatos to you. Don't call him 'big birdie'. And now you've really done it, you insolent, little brat."

Percy yelped as he was thrown over his brother's shoulder. The Sea God carried Percy out of the swimming pool, leaving the gym building to head to the dorms, with a wildly flailing Percy.

"Put me down, you brute!", exclaimed Percy, hitting Triton's back. "You know I'll go back to the pool once you leave anyway, right? So you can just put me down and let me continue!"

"Not happening, Perseus", chuckled Triton with a smirk. "I know how to keep you away from the pool for the rest of the day. Stop fighting me now, you brat."

Percy snorted. He was going to return back to the pool as soon as Thanatos was going to distract Triton for long enough so he could sneak out. It had been very weird at first, when Percy had met his godly half-brother, but apparently Triton was used to having demigodly half-siblings around, so at least he was adjusted well to it. Still, at times the god could be rather overbearing. Where Poseidon was a very nice father, he was also trying to give his kids so much freedom that Percy could do whatever he wanted. That was where Triton came in, being that stern, protective big brother – which was such a weird sensation for Percy, really. He was worse than Annabeth even.

"Look what I brought you, Tyson. You said you were looking everywhere for him, right?"

Percy froze up and glowered at Triton's back. That was cheating. Percy could not deny his little brother. Tyson was literally the only person Percy could not ever refuse or dodge.

"Yay! You found him!", yelped Tyson, clapping loudly.

Percy was put down on a bed and instantly hugged by his little brother. Tyson was the only thing Percy had left of his mother. Tyson was the one he had protected when they had still been living with the abusive stepfather. Smiling strained, Percy hugged his little brother. Large hazelnut-brown eyes stared up at him adoringly and he ruffled Tyson's messy brown hair.

"Hey, little bro", whispered Percy. "Didn't see you during dinner today."

"I was with daddy!", exclaimed Tyson, eyes sparkling eagerly. "You should have come too!"

"Yeah? Tell me all about what you did with dad", smiled Percy and snuggled up to the bed.

Triton nodded pleased as the two boy settled on the bed, with Tyson telling about his day in an animated and happy voice. There was only one way to stop Percy from over-exhausting himself and that was Tyson. Leaving the room on silent feet, he closed the door behind him and headed over to the teacher's lounge to see if he could find his boyfriend there. Thanatos, guard of the Doors of Death, was the head of security at campus. Triton and Thanatos had never met before, but thanks to this school, Triton got to enjoy the gorgeous chocolate-god with the powerful black wings.

"There you are. You said we'd meet here like half an hour ago. I started to think you ditched me."

Blinking a couple of times, Triton looked up at his boyfriend. "I'm sorry. I had a Percy to take care of. This boy will cause me to grow gray hair if I don't watch out, I tell you."

Thanatos offered him a smile and leaned in to steal a kiss, wrapping his wings around them both. Triton heaved a relieved sigh as he leaned in. He had never seen anyone work as hard as Percy and as much as that was something that had earned Triton's respect at the beginning, by now it was the biggest source of concern for Triton, because Percy worked _too_ hard.

/break\

When it was dark outside, cooling after a hot summer day, Jason liked to chase his team over the field one last time on weekends. Percy was right after all. The competition was big and strong and they were the pride of Olympus, they had to give their best. But Jason wasn't trying to push his team's or his own limits. So after an hour of running laps, Jason send everyone to bed and went over to gather his boyfriend. He had passed Thanatos and Triton earlier and Lord Triton had requested for him to pick Percy up from Tyson's room and 'make sure the brat sleeps some'. Jason smiled to himself when he found the two brothers deep asleep and curled together on Tyson's bed.

"Mh...?", yawned Tyson, cracking one eye open when someone tried to steal his teddy bear.

"Sh, sleep, Ty", whispered Jason as he gathered Percy in his arms bridal-style. "I'll just go and bring your big brother to his own bed so he can sleep too, yeah, kiddo?"

Tyson yawned again and nodded, grabbing his actual teddy to replace his brother while Jason carried Percy out of the elementary school's dormitory. He smiled down at his sleeping lover, brushing his lips against Percy's forehead before bringing him to his room and tugging him in.

/flashback | Somewhere before Greece, October 1940\

Nico was sharpening his knife. They had rifles, Nico knew how to use various guns by now, yet hand to hand combat and the fight with a knife were his favorites still. Training was intense and brutal, but the fights themselves were even worse. The battles he had seen. He wanted to gather more experience before he'd go to the US, even though he had spend the past nine months training and fighting, he still didn't feel ready. Only days ago, a letter from home had reached him. His aunt Elena had told under tears – he had seen the stains on the paper, the blurred letters where tears must have hit it – that Bianca was gone. Dead. A freak accident during a storm.

There was no accident. There was only Zeus, being an ignorant and almighty god. Nico needed to train more, to become stronger. Fighting and killing had become a catalyst for him. A way to deal with the pain and emptiness. He was ruthless and brilliant at it, or so his superiors have said.

Some of the soldiers said quite other things. Among young and well-trained men, Nico realized that his fancying the news boy in Venice had not been a silly phase. Being a soldier had given him an air of confidence and it was easy to find those who preferred the same as he did. It was dangerous, yes, but much like the fighting, this danger was a thrill he enjoyed. That aside, both parties had the same to lose – their lives. During his time at the front, Nico had seen them. Those with the pink triangles. He would not let himself become one of them, but that did not mean he would keep himself from the finest things this world had to offer. His life was doomed to be a short one, why should he not live it to its fullest extend and enjoy every pretty soldier he could get?

He had no illusions about ever getting such a thing like a boyfriend, or even a _husband_ , because there was no such thing as serious relationships between two men, but he was not going to give in to fear, not if these stolen moments with his fellow soldiers were all the joy he had left.

Tugging his knife back into his boot, he got his weapons ready. He was the son of death, so he knew what was expecting him. A sense, a cold tickling in the back of his neck. Today was going to be a harsh battle that would cost many lives. What he didn't know was that one of the lives it would cost was his own. Years apart from his dream of getting revenge, not even by the hands of Zeus, not gloriously while avenging his mother and sister. Just one of hundreds of soldiers, dying on the battle field for a cause that could not be called 'good'. Just another victim of the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tyson is a demigod in this, if you haven't caught on with that. Poseidon/Sally's son.
> 
> So... I just killed Nico. I normally don't do that. But since Hazel and the di Angelos have reversed roles here, they had to die so we get to meet ghost!Nico and ghost!Bianca next chapter in the present time! ;)


	3. Shared Secrets

_Chapter 3: Shared Secrets_

Percy, Thalia and Jason decided to help out Leo with the puppy-eyes. And if they were being honest, all of them were weak to those. An intervention needed to be put together. So when Hazel arrived back at the stables with her horse Arion, she was being greeted by a concerned bunch of friends. Percy and Jason were with their own respective horses, tending to Blackjack and Tempest in preparation of going out with them after this intervention. Thalia stood with Rachel, Reyna and Annabeth, all four girls having their arms crossed sternly. Even Miranda, the daughter of Demeter, and Lou, the daughter of Hecate, were there, because they were Hazel's roommates.

"Okay... something is up", grunted Hazel as she climbed off Arion's back. "What's... going on?"

"That's what we'd like to know, girl", countered Thalia with that concerned-big-sister voice. "Your boyfriends asked us to talk to you, because they're worried too. You keep dodging them – and Leo starts thinking it's because of _him_. But you also keep ditching us."

"You hang out with Piper sometimes but she isn't really sure what you... want... either", continued Reyna, frowning. "She's worried because you seem scatterbrained and secretive."

"You're barely present during student council meetings, which is not okay, because _we_ represent all of the demigods, their choices and their decisions", intervened Annabeth sternly. "If you have personal troubles or worries, you can trust your boyfriends and your friends to help you out and I understand if you prefer to figure things out on your own, but if the student body has to suffer under it, that's an entirely different thing, Hazel. I heard from my mother that you even skip classes."

"I don't want to talk about it", sighed Hazel with a frown, bringing Arion to his stable again.

Percy stood back and had a frown of his own on his face. Something was obviously worrying Hazel. He stayed with Blackjack and watched how the others tried to talk Hazel into talking, but she remained silent or objected to any problems. But it wasn't denial – it was a lie. She did it on purpose because she was dodging them. After a while, the others gave up and left one by one.

"Why don't you ride ahead, Jay?", requested Percy, kissing the corner of Jason's mouth.

The son of Jupiter looked at him quizzically but he obeyed. Hazel was still lingering with Arion, even though her concerned friends had left by now. Patting Blackjack between the ears, Percy headed over to Hazel. She groaned when he sat down next to her, like she expected more.

"It's alright", whispered Percy softly, eyes on Arion, who watched them curiously. "I get it. Not wanting to share a secret. And we don't want to pry. We're all just worried, Haze."

"We're all just worried about you", countered Hazel with a slightly malicious look on her face. "All of us worry about you when you get that dark look on your face and space out, that 'sad look Jason doesn't like', as we all dubbed it. Or when you spend ten hours training in the pool until even the coach comes knocking to drag you out. But none of us say anything anymore. Heck, we never did to begin with, because Thalia, Luke and Annabeth already warned us that it's futile. So, give me one good reason why _I_ should share my troubles to ease your worries if you can't do the same."

She gave him a hard look and he flinched. He hadn't been aware that they knew. He always thought they just forgot about it after he had told Thals and the others off often enough. But they still worried about him? Why? It wasn't worth their time to worry about him because of this.

"I just don't want to burden you, or... chase you off", shrugged Percy, chewing his lower lip.

"I have a secret and you have a secret. If you want mine, you need to give me yours", stated Hazel. "Look, it'll stay between us, okay? Because I wouldn't want you to share mine either. Promise?"

Percy pulled his legs up against his chest, resting his chin on his knees. "It's not worth it. Really."

"Same goes for me", chimed Hazel mockingly. "No problem, not worth your trouble."

Percy grunted and stared at the floor. So this was what it felt like for his friends? To worry about him because they didn't know, even though he knew it wasn't worth the trouble? But what if they'd think he was too weak, that he really wasn't worth their time after all.

"I mean it, Haze", whispered Percy, barely audible, leaning his shoulder against hers. "I'm not worth your trouble. You don't need to worry about me. I've been handling this for years now."

Hazel's head snapped up. She saw that Percy had meant it as yet another reason why they should not bother him about it, but Hazel also saw that this was the problem. Percy often said that it was not worth the trouble, yet he had never said that _he_ was not worth the trouble. Was this the root of all evil? Was Percy truly believing that he wasn't worth the trouble? Gods. That explained just _so much_. And now she hated that she promised to keep things between them. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she hugged him like her life depended on it. He grunted confused.

"What...?", asked Percy, blinking a couple of times and staring over at the girl.

"I love you, Perce", mumbled Hazel, hugging him even closer. "We all love you. You're totally worth our time, all the time. Because you're our friend and friends share their troubles and if there's something weighting you down, you can totally come to any of us. Because you're always there for all of us too, so it's only fair if you let us return the favor, Perce."

"Uhm... okay?", nodded Percy, still confused as to what just happened.

Normally his friends got a bit snappy or pouty when Percy told them off about sharing. Frowning, he wrapped his arms around her and accepted the hug for now. She settled against his chest.

"Remember how I spend last spring in the underworld with Pluto and Proserpina?", whispered Hazel softly, waiting for his nod. "The underworld is... amazing. I went to every place there is. And... one day, when I was wandering the Fields of Asphodel and... I... met two half-siblings of mine. Well, their ghosts, you know. I was curious, I guess. All the children of Hades or Pluto you hear about in history class are... the worst of the wicked, you know? I started feeling like maybe... I... was supposed to turn out a villain too, because all my half-siblings had. So I sought other children of Hades out in the Fields of Asphodel and we talked and... and we bonded. And we talked more and I returned, I visited them every day and I feel... I know none of you will truly understand this, because you have Tyson, Jason has Thalia and everyone else has literally dozens of siblings. But I'm just me. I'm the only child of Pluto, there are no children Hades. I'm... alone... In a way neither of you are, but when I started meeting Nico and Bianca, I... for the first time since my mother was emitted to the mental facility, I felt as though I have a... family... I love them, both of them. They're my siblings, but... they're... dead... and that makes it kinda complicated, you know?"

"I... was so not expecting anything even close to this", whispered Percy surprised, staring down at the girl in his arms. "So when you ditch your boyfriends or us, it's because you want to hang out with your dead siblings in the underworld? Wow. That is... different... yeah..."

"Y—Yeah", nodded Hazel, resting her head on Percy's chest and heaving a sigh. "Wow. It felt really good to say that out loud. It's just... I feel like I'm breaking some kind of... law... by hanging out with my dead siblings, but I love them. I may not have grown up with them like you and Jason did with your siblings, but... but they're mine, they're my siblings and I love them, you know?"

"I know. I mean, I don't know, but I know how much I love Ty, so yeah", nodded Percy with a small smile, resting his head on top of hers. "I'm glad. I mean, we were all really worried, so I'm happy that it's nothing bad, but something good. I'm happy for you, Haze. Siblings are awesome."

"You know I meant what I said earlier, right?", whispered Hazel softly, squeezing Percy's waist in a reassuring manner. "We all love you and... you're so worth our time. See, it totally felt relieving for me to tell you. I'm sure it'd help you if you'd talk about your problems, Percy."

"I don't have problems, Hazel", grunted Percy stubbornly, frowning down at the daughter of Pluto. "I am totally fine. There's no reason for any of you to worry about me, really."

Hazel smiled pained as she nodded. She had a feeling like there was every reason to worry.

/break\

Percy was enormously relieved that Hazel's secret was a safe secret and nothing dangerous. His good mood seemed to be easily detected, because on their 'men's night out', both Triton and their father picked up on it. Once a month, Poseidon took the time to take his sons out for dinner. It was a bit freaky that gods could be at multiple places at the same time, that they could literally split up – otherwise, it would be hard for the goddesses especially to have multiple children the same or around the same age. It was probably the only reason why the gods could afford to work at Novus Olympus. Well, it was also the reason why the gods managed to attend to all their duties too. And thanks to that, Poseidon had the time to treat his sons to dinner. Percy was mildly aware that he had other half-siblings aside from Triton, but he was the only godly son of Poseidon who Poseidon had managed to rope into this whole demigod school experience.

"What got you into such a mood, my boy?", chuckled Poseidon with a large smile, before frowning. "No, wait. It's probably related to my brother's brat and I don't want to know, right?"

Triton snorted and rolled his eyes, while Percy blushed and shook his head. "It's one of your brother's brats, but not the one you think. Hazel. She... Something good happened to her and now I'm very happy for her. Though yeah, Jay makes me happy too."

"And that is good for him", grunted Poseidon with a glare, nodding.

"Da—ad", whined Percy and glared back. "What did we say about threatening my boyfriend?"

"Only if he does something bad", chimed Tyson in, smiling brightly.

"Ah, we taught you well, young one", smirked Triton, patting his head.

At that, Tyson looked even prouder. Percy ducked his head and blushed a little. He kind of loved that his brother and father were so protective of him, but he also hated it at times. At least Tyson was still innocent and lovable. Smiling, Percy stole a piece of bacon from Triton's plate, causing his big brother to glare viciously back. Percy's smile widened and he stuck his tongue out.

/break\

When Percy returned back to his dorm after dinner, parting with a half-hug with his dad, because Poseidon was carrying a sleeping Tyson, he was not exactly expecting his room to burst with people. His two roommates were there, in their respective beds, yes. Mike Kahale, son of Venus, was reading a book, or rather trying to read. Alabaster Torrington, son of Hecate, was one of the reasons why their Roman roommate couldn't read. Where there was Alabaster, there often also was either his boyfriend Ethan or his little half-sister Lou. In this case, even both. Ethan was leaning against the headboard of Alabaster's bed, with the brunette son of Hecate on his lap. Ethan was occasionally kissing Alabaster's shoulders and neck, but Alabaster was mainly engaged in a conversation with his little sister and with Hazel. Even though Hazel was a daughter of Pluto, she showed great magical potential and Lady Hecate herself had shown interest in the girl. Since then, Alabaster, Lou and Hazel were quite well-known and feared as a witch trio. Hazel and Lou sat at the foot end of Alabaster's bed as the three witches talked and laughed. Kind of between them laid Leo, his head in Hazel's lap so she could play with his curls while talking. The Latino was deep asleep by now, looking pretty content. Frank sat at the table, together with Annabeth, playing chess. And then there was Percy's bed, filled with Jason, Piper and Reyna. The two girlfriends were wrapped around each other, cuddled very close as the three of them talked. Piper was braiding Reyna's hair, something the native American girl loved doing. While Jason and Reyna discussed some kind of sports event, Piper tried to break Mike's concentration. Not that the Roman let his Greek half-sister succeed. After all, Mike had been sharing a room with Percy the hyperactive squirrel and Alabaster the scheming warlock for long enough to drone out pretty much everything.

"Ah! Finally! All this cuddling around me started to make me pouty! Come here!"

Percy chuckled fondly as he watched Jason making grabby-motions toward him. This was exactly what he needed right now. After a nice evening with his family, now having his friends and his boyfriend around him. Dumping his jacket and kissing Annabeth's cheek on the way, Percy collapsed right into Jason's arms. He made a content, purring sound as Jason started combing his fingers through Percy's hair. Piper and Reyna laughed at that, snorting a little.

"Dork", chuckled Piper fondly and butted in to ruffle Percy's hair teasingly.

"Shut up and go back to playing with your girlfriend's hair", countered Percy with a pout.

Percy adjusted himself to lay curled together against Jason's chest, feet tugged under the blonde's calves. Jason laid one arm around Percy while the other played with Percy's hair. It was fluffy and soft and Jason was totally obsessed with it. Lucky him that Percy bathed in this kind of attention. Then again, Percy was generally starved for tenderness like this. Sure, their sex was mind-blowing, but if Jason would have to chose between fucking Percy and cuddling with his affectionate kitten of a boyfriend, he'd most definitely pick the cuddles. His sappy grin was hidden by Percy's hair as Jason kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. Percy heaved a content sigh.

"What brought this little gathering on? Are you guys planning a revolution?", asked Percy.

"Please, if we'd be planning an uprising, then Octavian and Luke would be here", snorted Reyna amused. "No. Hazel came and suggested we should hang out because we haven't in the last weeks."

"You did?", asked Percy, craning his neck enough to look at Hazel, who was still patting Leo's hair.

"Yes", confirmed Hazel with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "You reminded me that all of you are more than worth my time, so I figured I should clear my schedule for you guys again."

Percy nodded shortly before burying his face in the nape of Jason's neck again. Not that he was allowed to relax for long before he was poked by a foot. Huffing, he swatted at the food.

"Come on, Jackson. Play with us", ordered Alabaster, shuffling a deck of cards.

"I'm totally in", yawned Leo as he blearily blinked his eyes open. "Come on, Perce."

"I want to join too", declared Piper, turning to look quizzically at her girlfriend.

"If you don't pout when I annihilate you", stated Reyna with a wicked look.

Those Romans tended to take things a little too serious at times. Looking up at his boyfriend quizzically, he got a little lost in those electric blue eyes. He loved them, he loved how they looked at Percy as though he was the center of the universe. When Jason grinned and nodded, Percy ducked his head again to hide the blush. The friends got off the beds to sit in a circle on the ground. Though even here, Percy crawled back into Jason's lap. Especially after a day of power-family-time, he had a hard time being apart from Jason for even moments. The kind of tender family time he got with Poseidon, Triton and Tyson gave him was so different and odd, made him feel so loved and fuzzy, that he simply couldn't go without it right away. After the first couple of times, before he had found Jason and Jason's joy of simply holding and hugging Percy, he had always fallen into the deepest, darkest hole once the family separated for the night. Nowadays, he just got a double dose of Jason to fill that odd empty feeling that he couldn't really explain or understand.

"I love when you're all cuddly", whispered Jason into Percy's ear, grinning against his skin.

"Shut up", huffed Percy and hit Jason's chest irritated.

"That is the first sensible thing with which I'd agree", said Mike from his bed.

"Oh, put the book down and be social. Even Annabeth is playing games", chided Piper annoyed.

As though to agree, Annabeth lifted the piece she had just taken from Frank into the air, waving it a little. Mike heaved a sigh, as though it was great torture, before he put his book down and walked over to join the others in their circle. Alabaster grinned at him broadly.

"You know there's no escape", snickered the freckled brunette.

Mike had his own friends, but occasionally he liked to hang out with his roommates and their friends. Percy grinned at him as he handed him his cards. He was glad Hazel had initiated tonight.

/break\

Being dead was rather boring at times. Don't get Nico wrong, it was far more exciting than he would have imagined, but there were boring phases too. The first twenty years of being dead had been rather busy. They were spend wandering the Fields of Asphodel on the search for his mother and sister. It was hard. Normal souls lost their memories in those fields, but Nico suspected that he and his sister must be different due to their heritage. They were the children of death, so death affected them differently. Yes, for a while, Nico's memory had grown fuzzy and the edges were blurred. It felt as though the faces and names were just out of his reach. But if there was one thing that could be said about Nico di Angelo, it was that he was one stubborn bastard. He met a monk in his fifth or sixth year in the fields, who taught him meditation. The secret to keeping their memories together was finding their center. Nico spend about seven or so years with the monk, learning the art of meditation and working on restoring his lost memories.

All Nico had known for years was blind rage. His aura had been blood red, according to his spiritual mentor. The hatred, put into Nico by Zeus. He had spend years hating everything, had grown up during the worst war in history, fueled even more by that hatred and cruelty. The loss of his mother, the loss of his sister, the loss of his comrades, the loss of his own life. He learned to let go of the hatred and anger, finding a blinding light of hope amidst it all. The hope to be reunited with his mother and sister, the hope of starting anew. Together. This light became his anchor, slowly one by one tying his memories together and keeping them close.

He bid his goodbye to the man, owing him so much, as he started his journey deeper into the fields. It took him another couple of years before he found Bianca. Nico liked to think of it as his twenty years mark in the Fields of Asphodel. He estimated the time of his stay by gathering the time of death from the newest arrivals at the fields. The sixties. Good to see the world had made it to the sixties in one piece, without World War II tearing it completely apart. The thought of it alone send Nico into flashbacks of battles and destruction and he clung to the meditations the monk had taught him. He tried to grasp for the good, the light. Yet somehow, the longer he stayed in the underworld, the farther that light seemed to slip away from him. It got brighter again when he was reunited with Bianca. Just holding her again, even though she didn't remember him at the time.

Many of the following years were spend teaching Bianca the meditations and trying to regain her memories. She had been without them far longer than he had. But one thing Nico had learned by dying had been patience. And there was the light of hope that she would remember him.

She did. It had been the happiest day of Nico's life when Bianca remembered him, when she hugged him tightly and remembered him. Since then, being dead had become more bearable and also more adventurous. Nico and Bianca made the best of it. They met new people and asked them about the world, how things changed. They learned, soaking up knowledge like sponges.

Not just about world history and what they were missing by being dead – the Third Reich losing, being split in two and at the mercy of the victors, being reunited again to grow stronger and prove they could be good, while the US and Russia had their own disputes, Vietnam and 9/11 and the first black president – they also learned new skills. There were many dead veterans and ancient heroes. Both Bianca and Nico learned hand to hand combat skills and the basic forms of sword-fights, even though they didn't have real swords. They didn't even have real bodies, after all.

Though that didn't stop them from touching things or other people, as Nico very effectively tested with his first real boyfriend in the nineties. Theseus, the most prominent son of Poseidon. It was strange, Nico had spend so many years hating the gods and what came from them, but when he saw the beauty Poseidon had brought forth, he was stunned. It had started out as training. Apparently, Theseus' soul, like many other great heroes, wandered the underworld freely. Theseus taught the di Angelo siblings sword-fight and some other tricks. Nico and Theseus grew closer and closer, until one afternoon they fell into bed together, or well, onto the mossy ground. It developed into casual sex until it somehow became more. Nico wasn't sure. He was used to the hush-hush of the army. But the new souls told them how the world was changing and Theseus told him how the world used to be. Were just those centuries in the middle the problem? Would the world change back for the better? Nico didn't know and quite frankly, he also didn't care. They were dead, the underworld was a safe place. He could be who he wanted to be and with whom he wanted to do it.

Nico was in a stable and happy relationship with one of the greatest Greek heroes in history for about one and a half decades. It certainly did some to change Nico's view on the gods, or at the very least their children. They were paws just like Nico and Bianca had been. Nico started to respect Poseidon a bit, with what Theseus had taught him and told him. What he had seen from Theseus was remarkable. They were ghosts and they still possessed ghosts of their own powers and what Theseus was capable of was incredible. Though his hatred for Zeus seemed to still be there. At the end of the first decade of the new century, Theseus' ex-boyfriend made an appearance. And even though Theseus and Nico parted on good terms, Nico developed a certain dislike for Pirithous, son of Zeus. Zeus again. There was a pattern with Nico losing people he loved to Zeus.

The 2010s however brought Nico a very good distraction. A girl named Hazel Levesque. A daughter of Pluto. A little sister. It was odd at first, felt like being interrogated. Apparently, Hazel got taught about demigodly history at her school and she had learned about all the downright evil children of their father, so she had journeyed out to see if there were good children of the underworld too.

Over the past few years, both di Angelo siblings had grown increasingly attached to Hazel.

"She said she'd come today, right?", asked Bianca from where she was lounging on the couch.

Thanks to Hazel, they now had furniture. Bianca and Nico had moved to a small caving in the rocks of the Fields of Asphodel, but with Hazel being from the physical world, she managed to bring them things. Little things, stupid things, probably useless for ghosts to possess, but they made things more entertaining. The laptop, for example. So the Fields of Asphodel didn't have WiFi, but it was a good way to watch the shiny silver disks Hazel introduced to them as DVDs. And watching what she called TV shows was a good way to not just learn a lot about modern times but also to entertain themselves. There wasn't a whole lot souls could do in the fields, after all. And now that Nico didn't even have his cute boyfriend with the very distracting and entertaining ass, he welcomed the wonders of television and DVDs with open arms. And so did Bianca.

"You realize that unlike us, Haze does have a life, right?", grunted Nico as he squeezed in on the couch right next to his older sister. "Oh come on, how often do you want to rewatch _Game of Thrones_? Can't we watch something else? I like that cartoon Hazel brought us last time."

"I don't know. I think this _Avatar_ stuff is pretty childish", sighed Bianca and shook her head.

"It's funny. I like Zuko", huffed Nico with a glare."Okay, fine. _Danny Phantom_?"

Bianca grinned broadly and sunk deeper into the couch. "Now you're talking, brother."

Nico chuckled as they adjusted the laptop on their table so both had a good view. The couch and the table were basically the only furniture their cave had, but for ghosts who didn't need to sleep or eat anyway, it was more than enough. Thanks to Hazel's boyfriend, the laptop was boosted – it was apparently not common for batteries to last over a year before having to be recharged. Though that was good, because there weren't exactly a lot of power outlets in the underworld. Nico got comfortable, leaning against his older sister. They had never found their mother and Hazel had confirmed what both siblings had suspected – that she had chosen rebirth and was no longer in the underworld – but Nico had found his piece with it. She was reborn and got a second chance at living and creating and protecting her own family. He had Bianca and now Hazel. He was content.

There was still the occasional flare of hatred for Zeus, the urge to seek revenge, but he countered it with meditation. He still harbored a great distaste for everything related to Zeus though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gives me a special kind of glee to have Bianca and Nico just doing stuff together, like watching cartoons.
> 
> Next chapter, Percy and Nico are actually finally going to meet, because someone wants her siblings back with the living! Cue in the quest! What could pooossibly go wrong when Hazel and Percy team up to release two souls from the underworld, after all? ^o^v


	4. A Quest to the Underworld

_Chapter 4: A Quest to the Underworld_

The children of the Big Three were together in the gym, something that happened rather often. Even though they had enough training classes scheduled with Ares, Enyo or Enyalios, there were things they could only do on their own and for those, only they were qualified. Training and schooling their demigodly powers. Only another child of one of the Big Three was strong enough to take another child of one of the Big Three on. Jason was paired with Hazel and Percy was paired with Thalia as they sparred, using as much force as they could. The gym was especially fire-proof and water-proof and as safe as a room could be for such power to be wielded.

"Jason. Don't get distracted by your mate", growled Lupa irritated, pacing the room.

Jason's back straightened and he decidedly turned away from Percy and Thalia. It was hard to concentrate when he got to see Percy being all glorious fighter and such, sweaty and delicious. Seeing Percy determined to succeed never failed to turn Jason on and make him fall in love with Percy all over again. But Lupa was right, he needed to focus on his own fight. Hazel and her Mist-manipulation were a worthy opponent. And losing a fight in front of the principals was incredibly embarrassing. Both principals were present during today's training session – they often came to make random sampling on their pupil's progress. The principals of Novus Olympus were Chiron, trainer of Greek heroes, and Lupa, trainer of Roman heroes.

"Good, Percy. You're gradually improving your swordplay, but you still have a long way to go with your demigodly powers", called Chiron out, his hooves tapping on the ground.

Percy gritted his teeth and nodded as he dodged Thalia's next hit. He knew he couldn't access as much of his supposed power as he should be able to. That was mainly so because while their strength was linked to their physical abilities, their demigodly powers were linked to their emotional abilities. Percy had spend a lot of sessions at the Greek vice-principal and student counselor Chariclo – a nymph and the wife of Chiron, who used to tend to the emotional needs of the ancient heroes too when she and her husband had taken them in. She often told him that his past was holding him back. His fears were holding him back. He knew that, as a son of Poseidon, he could breath under water. Yet all he had managed so far was holding his breath for many minutes, because he didn't dare to open his mouth and breath in under water. He was too afraid to drown. It was so embarrassing, so ridiculous – a son of Poseidon who was afraid of drowning. It was the main reason why Percy trained so very much in the pool, to hold his breath longer and longer so he could somehow make up for his lack of ability. Chariclo had given him a push to talk to Thalia about it and even though he had been reluctant at first, Chariclo was a very kind woman who reminded him a lot of his own mother, so denying her was incredibly hard. Turned out that Thalia, even though she was a daughter of Zeus, was afraid of heights. So to Thalia, seeing Jason fly was just as much a reminder of her own incapability as for Percy to see Tyson dive and breath under water without a problem. Somehow, hearing Thalia tell him this secret had made Percy feel less inadequate. Less like an outsider. Just like it had been a few weeks ago, when Hazel had shared her secret with Percy and confided in him about her dead siblings.

"Okay, that's enough for today", declared Chiron and clapped loudly. "Well done, children. Go shower and get some rest before dinner. And Percy, stop being so hard on yourself."

The centaur and the shewolf left the gym, while the four demigods collectively collapsed on one of the mats spread out on the ground. All four of them were panting hard, completely out of breath and steam. Jason rolled onto his side and reached out to grasp Percy's waist so he could pull the son of Poseidon closer. Percy hummed contently and snuggled up to his equally sweaty boyfriend.

"You're all gross", complained Percy with a grin. "But I still love you."

"How gracious of you, dork", huffed Jason amused, ruffling Percy's hair.

Percy giggled uncontrollably, causing the others to stare at him. "Gracious. Good one, Grace."

"Not with the silly puns again, Percy", laughed Hazel softly.

"Yeah. No dam puns anymore", agreed Thalia, snickering herself.

Percy turned to offer Thalia the largest grin possible, which she returned all too willingly. The two of them had been on an important quest about two years ago, together with Grover, Annabeth and Luke – the quest to find the Oracle of Delphi, who they had met at Hoover Dam, which had been the birthplace of silly puns. As tough and dangerous as quests were, Percy loved how much they brought him and his friends closer to each other. Fighting alongside each other, defeating danger together, those things formed unbreakable bonds. Not to mention the amazing adventures.

"I'd prefer to just lay here with you all day, or go and share a shower with you, but... sadly enough, Coach Ares thought it'd be the perfect evening for a team meeting before the big game on Friday", sighed Jason and leaned down to kiss the top of Percy's head. "Be good, babe."

"Don't pout. You said yourself, you need a better strategy against Magnus' team", replied Percy and leaned up to steal a proper kiss from Jason. "Though I, of course, know that you'll kick their asses."

"Easier said than done", muttered Jason and made a face. "Those Chases are indestructible..."

"I'll pass it on to Annie that you said that", chimed Thalia with a large grin, waving at her brother.

Percy rolled onto his back, folding his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Thalia was one of the people he trusted most. She was also one of the strongest fighters he knew. And one of the most experienced demigods around. And she was like five years older than him, which made her more responsible (then again, Annabeth tended to say that many of the freshmen were more responsible than him because he liked to rush into dangerous situations head-on. Which was why he was putting so much thought into this). For the past weeks, Percy had spend a lot of time thinking about Hazel's dead siblings and what she had told him about them. How much she loved them and how they made her feel like part of a family again – he could relate, because he had Tyson for that. And the happiness of his friends was the most important thing for her. So the obvious conclusion was to bring Hazel's dead siblings back to life, because then she could have a proper family and wouldn't be troubled by keeping them a secret. Perfect solution. Now came the hard part. Percy had no idea how to bring someone back from the dead. Which meant they probably needed a team to do this. Like, a schemer and a leader and such. They obviously needed Hazel, because without a child of the underworld, they wouldn't even get _in_. She also knew how to find her dead siblings and, well, how they looked. Thalia was really clever and strong and Percy felt that somehow, it would give this quest meaning to have one child of each of the Big Three on this. Like they always said; the unity of the three brothers was an unbeatable force. So, in conclusion, the union of Percy, Hazel and Thalia would be like that too and no one could object to them getting the two children of Hades back, right? Well, at least that was what Percy concluded. He turned onto his side to look at Hazel.

"Haze", whispered Percy softly, poking her. "Haze, I wanna help you. With your... the thing you told me about. I think that, if we tell Thalia, we could... do something. Together."

"Do something?", echoed Hazel confused, also keeping her voice low. "Do _what_?"

"Save them", mouthed Percy with a large grin.

Hazel's eyes widened stunned and she blushed despite herself. She was a good girl. A well-behaved Roman. Yet she had to admit that ever since she had gotten close to Bianca and Nico, she had started doing a little bit of research and spinning plans of how she could bring them back. Never before had she dared to even think of pulling through with them though. She was too afraid of the punishment of the gods, most of all Jupiter. A daughter of Pluto, defying the laws of life itself to bring back _two_ other children of Pluto. How would that look? Like a kind of revolution. In the end, it would get all three of them killed – well, two of them killed again – and they'd most likely end up in the Fields of Punishment. If they were be lucky; maybe Jupiter would cast them into Tartarus itself right away. No, Hazel would not dare to risk such a thing. The way Percy grinned at her now though, so sure and encouraging, as though this was completely fool-proof, somehow it made her feel at ease. As though whatever it was that Percy was cooking up, it'd work. And even if it'd fail, Percy would make sure that they'd all be alright. That was the kind of effect Percy had on others. He made them believe not just in him, but also in themselves. That was what made him such a great leader – not just for the swim team, also for the Greeks. Even though he didn't realize it himself.

"Okay", nodded Hazel with conviction before sitting up. "Thalia, there's... there's something I want to tell you. I—I... I could use your help with something. Please."

Frowning curiously, Thalia sat up to listen intently. It was rare for Hazel to look that serious. Thalia's eyes grew wider and wider with every sentence Hazel spoke about the di Angelos, retelling how her siblings had died and how she had first met them and gotten to know them better. At the end of it, Thalia felt similar to Percy. She could relate to how important siblings were and she wanted to help them. That aside, they'd have more chances if she helped them.

"Okay. What's the plan?", asked Thalia eagerly when Hazel finished her story.

Hazel looked troubled, but then Percy smiled at her encouragingly and suddenly, Hazel felt braver. "I can bring us in, with my shadow-travel. I'll drop you off at their place and then I'd leave you two to bring them to the Doors of Death while I leave to meet father. I often come and visit him, so he wouldn't be suspicious. I know where he keeps his keys, which we'd need to open the Doors of Death. Once a soul passes those doors, they're alive again, with actual physical bodies. I just... I mean... when your father sees this, he will not be pleased, Thalia."

"Oh, he got a stick up his arse anyway", muttered Thalia dismissively. "What's he gonna do? Try and fight against you, me, Percy and two more children of Hades? We're the next generation. I think he's good enough in history _and_ math to know his chances wouldn't be too good."

Hazel still looked doubtful, but Percy just nodded in agreement, grinning broadly. "Come on, Haze. Let's go on a quest to save your siblings. We're one hundred percent behind you in this."

"B—But we should wait until tomorrow", argued Hazel, frowning. "If we go now, they'll be looking for us when we miss dinner. And we're all exhausted from training."

"Right. Good point, yeah", agreed Percy sheepishly. "Yeah. Let's come up with a good excuse."

"What about my brother?", asked Thalia suspiciously. "Why did you ask me, not him?"

Percy ducked his head a bit. "Don't get me wrong, I love Jay. But I think for this quest, you're... the better choice. And I don't want to drag him into this. He's my Jay."

Thalia chuckled amused and shook her head. Percy had no problem throwing himself into danger, but when it came to those he loved, he was more than reluctant. He knew that Thalia would be better at holding her weight than Jason and if Jason was there, Percy would worry about keeping him safe more so than the quest itself. It was why couples weren't send on quests together.

"Tomorrow then. Right after lunch, we'll meet up behind the gym", declared Thalia determined.

/break\

The next day, after a good night's sleep and a very good meal, the trio met again. They had lied to others, excused themselves by Chiron and Lupa by telling them about a movie they wanted to see in the mortal world. With a permission slip and as long as they went in sets of three, the demigods were allowed to leave Olympus. No one suspected anything and everyone knew the kids of the Big Three would be able to protect themselves in the mortal world. Hazel had drawn them a map of the underworld, marked where the Fields of Asphodel were and how to get to the Doors of Death. She also explained to them in great detail what kind of dangers they'd have to face. Thalia tugged the map away and Hazel shadow-traveled them right to the cave where Bianca and Nico lived.

"You should have told us that you'd be bringing guests", drawled Nico surprised, looking at them.

Hazel beamed at her brother and sister. "Guys, those are... my siblings. Bianca and Nico. Those are Thalia and Percy. They're very dear friends of mine. We're here to bring you back."

"Back...?", asked Bianca surprised, blinking slowly. "You don't mean... back to life, right?"

"Exactly that!", declared Percy with a large grin, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Come on, get up. We got a long way to go to the Doors of Death. Oh, you'll _love_ high school!"

Nico frowned as he watched the enthusiastic boy rattle on about Novus Olympus – Hazel had already told them about her school. Yet here stood this stranger, grinning broadly as he babbled on. What an odd creature indeed. The girl next to him looked more serious though and Hazel smiled.

"Listen", pleaded Hazel, looking at Bianca and Nico intently. "You two need to follow Thalia and Percy to the Doors of Death. I'll go and get the keys of our father to set you free. Please."

When Hazel looked at them like this, it was impossible to deny her. So somehow, Nico and Bianca found themselves following the two strangers out of the fields and toward the Doors of Death. They loomed in front of them like a Damocles sword, foreboding. Nico and Bianca were holding hands to reassure themselves as they followed the strangers. While the girl looked serious and took the lead, the boy kept talking animatedly. Telling them what Hazel had told him about them, as though he tried to fill the silence. Since Nico had nothing else to do, he let his eyes wander over his rescuers. The girl was tough, black combat boots and leather jacket, a black band-shirt and a spiked belt. This style of clothing was very much after Nico's taste and he was going to ask her where she went shopping. Their other savior however was far more intriguing for Nico. His tight gray jeans were a good fit to show off his long, lean legs and his very perfect ass. The messy, dark hair gave him a boyish and cute note and his eyes were of the most interesting bluish green color. The eyes especially reminded Nico of his ex-boyfriend Theseus and made him assume that this boy too was a son of Poseidon. So it really was a family trade to be delectable. How interesting.

"Where do you think you are going, children?", roared an intimidating, loud voice.

Thalia was panting hard, rubbing monster-dust off her cheek. She and Percy had been at it for about an hour now, defeating monster after monster on their way. This one however was different. A tall man – not exactly gigantic, but definitely bigger than normal humans – who looked a little bit like Einstein. The man had a mad expression on his face as he faced them.

"Great. Just when we reach the hardest section of our way", muttered Thalia beneath her breath as she turned to Percy. "Remember the plan. Do your thing, I'll keep this guy occupied."

Percy frowned, but nodded slowly. Nico recognized the intimidating gigantic man. He was one of the Titans, the brothers of Kronos. He knew the prison of Tartarus was not secure anymore and even though his father was doing his best to fix the problem before it leaked to Olympus – Hazel had told them that their father feared what the Olympians would think if they were to know – but many big monsters and apparently even a Titan or two had escaped. The son of Hades frowned. This was it, then. Those mere little demigods wouldn't stand a chance against a Titan.

"Hey, you giant oaf!", called Thalia out, gaining the Titan's attention. "Come on, fight me!"

"You? A meek, little mortal?", asked the Titan with a roaring laughter. "You wish to face me? Hah! You surely jest, little girl! I am Iapetus, I am the Piercer! Very well, let me squish you, little girl!"

"What do you plan on doing?", whispered Bianca from where she stood behind Percy.

The son of Poseidon was decidedly turned away from Thalia and Iapetus, facing the river. "This is the River Lethe. We need to cross it to get to the Doors of Death, but... Well, Hazel says this river makes you forget, so we can't swim through it. I'm, uh, a son of Poseidon, I can control water. We came up with the plan that I should... lift the river up, so we can walk beneath it."

"That won't be of much use once Iapetus smashes first your friend and then you", drawled Nico.

He watched how Thalia tried to fight against Iapetus. She wasn't too shabby, good swordsmanship and relative good control on her lightning powers – which made Nico assume she was a daughter of Zeus, which instantly made him _not_ like her. And even though she wasn't bad, she was not even remotely a match for a Titan. Nico was pretty sure he'd stand more of a chance than she did, but he was bodiless and dead. There was nothing he could do. Movement to his right caught his attention and he watched in total amazement how the pretty son of Poseidon actually lifted the river. The River Lethe. The river's water made anyone who touched it forget everything. An idea hatched in Nico's mind and he was pretty sure that the craziness of Percy and Thalia had been rubbing off in the past hour. Their crazy talk about bringing them back for Hazel's sake had ignited a spark in him and suddenly, there was a little flame of hope burning inside of him.

"Call your friend here", ordered Nico firmly. "You two need to run under the river, lure the Titan in to follow us. But you two need to be faster. And then _you_ need to drop the river on top of him. Do you think you can do that? That way, you can wipe Iapetus' memories. He won't remember fighting us, he won't remember the urge to fight anymore. It'll be our chance to get away."

He became more frantic and eager the more he talked and at that point, he simply knew that Percy's enthusiastic voice had affected him. The boy had constantly spoken with so much certainty about how life would be for them once they were out of here, like he _knew_ this plan would work.

"Uhm. Yeah. That... could... work", nodded Percy slowly, blinking. "Thals! _Run_."

The goofiness had left his voice and it had turned into a single command, strong enough to get across how serious he was. Without a second to question him, Thalia did as she was told. It amazed Nico to see the level of trust that she put into this boy. She ran past them and underneath the river's water. Another proof of her trust. She didn't doubt for a second that he'd spill as much as a drop of the dangerous water onto her. Bianca tugged on his hand urgently, ripping him out of his thoughts. The di Angelos followed Thalia, while Iapetus, wounded from his fight with her, turned toward them. Percy, still concentrating on stabilizing the river, craned his neck to stare at the Titan who was closing in on him. He saw from the corner of his eyes that his friends were nearly save.

"Hey! You, big guy!", called Percy out. "You are seriously ugly, man. You should get that checked."

Nico's jaw dropped. That was Percy's idea of provoking one of the four most powerful Titans? Insulting him? This boy was completely out of this world. He turned to give his sister a look.

"Percy! Come on, you need to hurry!", called Thalia out, waving her uninjured arm.

She had fought well against Iapetus, yet it had left her heavily injured. As the Titan Lord leaped at Percy, Percy started to sprint underneath the river. In the middle of it, he dropped the river. On top of them both. Thalia's face froze in terror at this. She knew he was a moron and would easily sacrifice himself for his friends, but not like this. It couldn't end like this. For a couple of seconds, all three of them stood there, unmoved, staring at the water as though they expected a miracle. Percy Jackson did not disappoint, because moments later, he climbed out of the water, completely dry. The Titan followed him however – soaked to the bone, angry eyes suddenly blank and filled with wonder as those of a newborn child. Percy turned to grin up at the trio.

"What? Son of Poseidon. I don't need to get wet when I'm in water", grinned Percy.

"And... you think this worked?", whispered Bianca concerned, staring at Iapetus.

The Titan tilted his head and returned her stare. "Hello. Do you know who I am?"

Thalia had collapsed on the ground right next to Percy, partially out of exhaustion and partially out of relief that Percy was alright. She turned to look at Percy in surprise and he returned the look.

"Uh, you, uh... You're my friend", blurted Percy out without a thought. "You're... Bob."

"I'm Bob! I'm your friend!", exclaimed Iapetus, sounding more than happy about this.

Nico blinked slowly as he stared at Percy ridiculed. Did this boy, this mere little demigod, not just trick a Titan, but also turn him into his friend and rename him _Bob_? That much for judging a book by its cover. There was more to this son of Poseidon than a nice exterior and goofiness.

"Okay", panted Thalia as she took a sip of her nectar. "We should continue. We got a schedule."

"Oh. Where are we going?", asked Iapetus-turned-Bob as he started to follow them like a puppy.

"Are... Are we taking the Titan with us?", asked Bianca, turned to Thalia.

"Uh... it appears that way", muttered Thalia with a frown, watching how Percy explained their quest to Bob with the usual level of euphoria. "Well, he's Percy's friend now, after all. And if there's one thing about Percy you need to know, it's that he always stands true to his friends."

After everything that had happened today, both Nico and Bianca figured to just nod and agree. The Titan proved useful not long after, because both Thalia and Percy were rather exhausted after the stint, yet Bob still had a lot of fight left in him and when his best friend Percy asked him to help, Bob was more than happy to smash a monster or two. Titans made great bodyguards. With Iapetus' help, they reached the Doors of Death without further problems. The Doors were gigantic and more than impressive. The demigods couldn't help but be a bit intimidated. And Hazel, waiting next to them, shifting nervously, she seemed so small and insignificant. Yet in her hands she held the keys to life itself. An oddly giddy feeling overcame Nico, one that he distinctively remembered as _hope_. What had been a small flame had turned into a wildfire, burning incredibly bright within the son of Hades. He had never seen such brilliant light and here he was, carrying it thanks to a broadly grinning son of Poseidon. Nico couldn't help but be in awe at the strange boy. Shaking his head, he turned to look away from Percy and instead focus on his sister, the keys and the Doors.

He stared up at the Doors of Death in wonder. "We did it. We actually did it."

"We did?", asked Iapetus curiously. "Did I help?"

Percy couldn't help but laugh as he patted Iapetus' back. "Yeah, Bob. You were great."

"You made it, you made it, you made it!", exclaimed Hazel as they were close enough so she could jump Thalia and hug the life out of her. "Oh, I was so worried you wouldn't, but you did!"

"We did! And I helped!", declared Bob proudly, grinning at her. "Hello!"

Hazel paused and looked at him surprised. "W—Who... What..."

"I'm Bob. I'm Percy's friend", said Iapetus in ways of introduction.

That didn't help Hazel at all, if anything it made her look even more puzzled. "What... happened?"

"You have very... interesting friends", supplied Nico amused. "This is the Titan Lord Iapetus. Thanks to a little bath in the River Lethe, he's now Bob, our friend."

Hazel's eyes widened even more as she turned to stare at Percy completely ridiculed. "Really?"

"Uh, well, it worked, didn't it?", asked Percy sheepishly and shrugged.

"W—We can't bring a Titan to school!", hissed Hazel scandalized. "It'll be hard enough with Nico and Bianca, but how in the world are we supposed to explain _that_?!"

Percy looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to Iapetus. "Listen, Bob. We need to go home now. But, uh, you need to stay here, okay? We'll come back. Promise. Just... wait for us, okay?"

"Okay", agreed Bob with an obedient nod, smiling brightly at Percy. "Waiting for friends."

"See? Problem solved. For now", declared Percy, pleased with himself.

Thalia face-palmed. "Anyway, let's get out of here before uncle sends his three-headed pet after us to turn us into its chew-toys, shall we? Just... unlock the damn thing and let's head home."

"And then?", inquired Bianca doubtfully. "What are we going to do then?"

"We're going to be bold and daring", stated Percy, clicking his tongue. "When the principals ask us, we'll tell them we were on a secret quest for Lord Hades to retrieve his two children from Italy."

"And... our father, the lord of death and king of the underworld who you just tricked, will play along... why exactly?", asked Nico, lowering a glare at Percy. "This will never work."

"You underestimate the gods' egos", countered Percy with a smirk. "There's no way Hades, or any god, would willingly admit that demigods stole from them and tricked them. That aside, it'd be a great shame for Hades to have it known that two souls escaped the underworld, that _we_ managed what no other hero ever did. Bringing someone back from the dead, defeating Hades' rules. He'd rather play along to the scam than admitting to any of this."

Nico had to admit, he saw the truth behind those words. The gods were prideful to the point where it tripped them. In this case, said pride _could_ work in their favors. Which meant Nico and Bianca would get a second chance, as long as their secret remained with those present right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the quest seemed familiar, I incorporated the quest from Persephone from the Demigod Files into this, because it's a brilliant way to also include Bob in this story.
> 
> Next chapter will finally include the teaser scene I posted in "Meet the di Angelos"! Bianca and Nico will settle at school and Hazel will have to face her father.
> 
> I am currently able to keep up an updating schedule - no promise how long I'll be able to though - which means I'll be posting new stuff/updating on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next update on Wednesday will be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summer High"!


	5. Welcome to Novus Olympus Academy

_Chapter 5: Welcome to Novus Olympus Academy_

There was a reason why Annabeth always chided Percy about heading straight into danger without a second thought. The reason was currently pacing in front of him. He, Thalia, Hazel and Hazel's not-dead-anymore siblings were sitting in a line on the comfortable couch in the principals' office, with both Chiron and Lupa pacing in front of them. The centaur had his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Percy and Thalia in a disapproving manner. Lupa occasionally growled in irritation.

"What by all that is sane were you thinking?", asked Chiron, voice still rather calm. "You know very well that you are not permitted out of Olympus without a permission slip from one of us, yet you did not only leave school grounds, you also decided to go on an unauthorized quest?"

"It wasn't unauthorized", blurted Percy out, shifting nervously. "I mean, uh, those two are the children of Hades. So, well, it was a quest for Lord Hades, h—he send us to bring them to camp."

"Without informing us?", inquired Chiron skeptically, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, you know how my dad is not the biggest fan of his brothers' children, so Lord Hades figured he'd just go around that for now, until his children are here and safe", explained Thalia smoothly.

"That so?", growled Lupa, fixing Hazel with a glare.

"Y—Yes", stammered Hazel, fingers clawed into her pants.

Percy slipped his hand into her lap to grasp one of her hands and ease it off her pants. Her eyes flickered over to him to catch the reassuring smile he was offering her. Both principals turned their attention away from them as the 'weakest link' relaxed with Percy's help. Instead, they stared intensely at the di Angelos, who were standing casually behind Hazel, observing silently. Nico shifted, tugging on the shirt, neither used to the feeling of fabric in general on him nor to t-shirts. The group had made a detour to New York to buy modern clothes for Bianca and Nico before returning to Olympus. Nico in WWII uniform and Bianca with old-fashioned clothes from the twenties would have raised suspicion. Still, it was odd to wear different clothes after eighty years.

"Very well", sighed Chiron, looking at the two. "Please stay to fill out your registration while we take a look which rooms still have empty beds for the two of you."

/break\

Filing papers was _boring_. Still, even after eighty years. Nico was glad when Chiron brought him and his sister to the dorms, but that feeling was replaced with a bad feeling in the pit of his gut as Bianca was dropped off at one dorm and he was led further into the dorm. Of course boys and girls didn't share bedrooms, it was obvious, yet that didn't change how much it unsettled Nico to think that, not only was he supposed to live with strangers, no, for the first time in eighty years, he was supposed to be separated from Bianca. It felt odd, almost unnatural. Regardless of his gut-feeling, he was relieved to reach his room, expecting to maybe get a nap. Getting his body had been very exhausting and a shopping trip with the energetic son of Poseidon, that Zeus girl and his very dear yet also overly excited half-sister had drained him even more. He still wasn't used to his new body.

"Hello, newbie", greeted a more than curious voice as Chiron led Nico into his new dorm.

"Those are your roommates, Cecil Rogers, son of Hermes, and Will Solace, son of Apollo", introduced Chiron, clapping Nico on the shoulder. "Boys, this is Nico di Angelo. He's a son of Hades and he and his sister were brought to us today by a... special quest. If you'd show him around and take care of him, that would be very nice of you. He's not from around here."

Will Solace was a blonde pretty boy, who sat sprawled over his bed, reading various medical books at once. Cecil Rogers looked like the exact opposite, a punk with a mischievous spark in his eyes as he scribbled something onto a notebook (something that looked a lot like the blue prints of a bank). Nico zoomed in on the empty bed, dumping his small bag with the changes of clothes they had bought, next to it and collapsing on the bed with a blissful groan.

"Someone is tired", snickered Cecil amused, tilting his head. "Long journey here, eh?"

Nico snorted at just how true that was. "You could say that, si."

"Italy, mh?", guessed Will curiously. "We don't get a lot of European demigods here."

"So, who was that quest that brought you here?", asked Cecil interested.

"My half-sister Hazel and two of her friends", replied Nico shortly, crossing his arms behind his head. "If you don't mind, I'd really like to take a nap for now. It has been an exhausting journey."

"Sure, sure. Got a heist to plan anyway", shrugged Cecil, turning his attention back on the paper.

"When you're fit and want a tour, just say the word", offered Will with a friendly smile.

Nico grunted, not quite interested in touring the school grounds, before dozing off.

/break\

After the nap, Nico decided to take his roommates up on their offer after all. They showed him the gym, the dining hall, the other dorms, the spacious gardens. All the while, the two didn't just talk about the school and whatever place they were showing him at the moment, they also talked a little about themselves. Apparently, Cecil was quite the troublemaker, which was why the third bed in their dorm had been vacant even though the school year already started. Will all the while had a boyfriend named Jake who Nico would have to get used to to 'drop by and snog Will', according to Cecil. They were amusing and Nico could see himself getting along with them. Half-way through their tour did Cecil insist to introduce Nico to his best friend – Lou Ellen. It turned out Lou Ellen was a roommate of Hazel, so the number of their tour grew to five.

"So, what do you think about the campus?", asked Hazel eagerly, hanging off his arm.

"It's... pretty interesting", answered Nico, eyes trained on the curious golden apple tree.

"Do a trick", requested Cecil as he and Lou walked in front of the siblings, walking backward so they could look at Nico and Hazel. "I mean, Haze here is awesome at finding jewels and gold. What about you? Are you a bling-tracking-system too, or do you have different powers?"

Nico snorted, trying to look not too offended because he didn't want to hurt Hazel. But compared to his powers, hers truly was child play. He smirked a little as Will rejoined them, tugging along a broad, dark-haired boy, who looked as though he'd prefer to be alone with Will instead of being introduced to Will's new roommate. Time to show off, apparently. Flickering his wrists, he lifted his hands up slowly, with the palms showing to the sky. The ghosts and skeletons of the past crawled out of the grass everywhere around them. Will's boyfriend yelped in a not very manly manner and so did some of the bystanding demigods who just tried to enjoy the sun during their lunch.

"W—What the actual _fuck_?", yelped Jake wide-eyed, clinging onto Will and looking around.

"Did I mention? My new roommate is a son of Hades", explained Will, though he looked pretty impressed himself as he stared at a ghost. "Though admittedly, I didn't think he'd be that powerful."

"They called me the Ghost King in my home", countered Nico with a pleased smirk.

"Show-off", hissed Hazel, smiling amused as she hit his chest.

"Ghost King, huh?", repeated Cecil, nodding his head. "Cool nickname. Really neat."

"A bit... fancy though", criticized Lou, at least until a zombie tipped her on the shoulder and made her scream like a little girl. "Okay, okay, it's a _great_ nickname! Goes really well with our local Sea Prince and Sparky Boy! Now call back your pets!"

Nico snickered and snapped his fingers, causing the ghosts to just dissolve and the zombies and skeletons to crawl back into their holes. Judging by all the bystanders who had gathered around them by now, Nico was pretty sure he could save himself the introduction for the rest of the day.

"Sea Prince? Sparky Boy?", asked Nico after a moment as they continued their walk.

"Percy Jackson and Jason Grace", replied Will amused.

"Jason is Thalia's brother", added Hazel as information. "Son of Jupiter, hence the Sparky Boy. Well, originally it was just Sparky, an affectionate nickname from his best friend Piper. But then it became kind of a... superhero-thing. You know, like Wonder Boy and such."

Nico grunted, very unimpressed, shaking his head. So there was more than one Zeus brat around here. And this one pretended to be a superhero. Just wonderful. As a teenage demigod whose most dangerous quest so far had probably been to save Hera's kitten from a tree, it was ridiculous that he dared to compare himself to heroes. Nico, who had fought in and fallen in an actual, very real war, took some offense in such behavior. Those spoiled kids took life entirely too lightly.

/break\

Jason frowned as he listened to Leo rambling on and on about how happy Hazel was. They sat in the middle of music class and Lord Apollo was in the middle of reciting some kind of haiku, so it was the perfect moment to talk. When Percy, Thalia and Hazel had left to watch that new Bond movie yesterday, which Jason, Leo and Frank had ditched because their partners knew very well that all three were not interested in those spy-movies, the trio hadn't gone to the movie at all. Instead, they went to Hades to free two souls from the underworld. And now Leo wouldn't stop talking about how happy Hazel was now that her siblings were here and the secret was gone. The secret she had been keeping for so many months now and Leo was so relieved that his girlfriend was fine and the secret wasn't anything bad and Hazel was happy now.

"Ah, you're talking about my new roommate, huh?", butted Will in as they all gathered their stuff up after class and headed out together. "He's... _very_ powerful. Staged quite the show during lunch, you know. Though I think he's quite the dork. He called himself the 'Ghost King'. Adorable, huh?"

"Can't call my future brother-in-law adorable", hummed Leo and shook his head. "Besides, the way it looked to me from the other side of the yard, I think he'd rip off my head if I'd do that."

"...Yeah, he probably would", nodded Will in agreement, frowning thoughtful.

Jason started to glare darkly as the three of them headed over to geography with Hermes. He hadn't even met this brother of Hazel's yet, but he already didn't like him. First, he had troubled Hazel with this burden of a secret, then he had managed to endanger not just Jason's Percy but also Jason's big sister and caused both of them to lie to him and _now_ this guy stole all the spotlight? Just great.

/break\

Nico's eyes scanned the crowd. Hazel had told him so much about these modern days. He had learned so much from the other souls on the Fields of Boredom (as he had dubbed them). Things weren't how they used to be, or rather, at this place, they were exactly how it used to be. Heroes didn't care if they were dating males or females, just like most great heroes had a lot of male relationships too. For a gay boy from the forties, those were good news indeed. Sure, he had been able to fool around in the army, but it was all don't ask don't tell. Here, at this school, Nico would actually be able to get a pretty boy all of his own, someone he could flaunt about the way men showed off their beautiful wives. And he already knew exactly who he wanted. A shark-like grin spread over his lips as he spotted his prey. The green-eyed one, who had helped Hazel on the quest to get the di Angelos 'back to life'. A hero – and what a specimen. Smirking to himself, Nico walked over to Percy's locker and leaned against it, drinking in the sight in front of him.

"Buongiorno, tesoro", purred Nico softly. "Aren't you a pretty little thing, doll?"

The boy lifted his head and stared at him with large, sea-green eyes before frowning. "Not sure what offends me more. Being called a 'pretty _little_ thing', or being called a 'doll'."

Nico chuckled amused, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

"You could say that", grunted the boy and rolled his eyes. "Your name was Nick, right? Let me give you some advice. Try being less slick and more... honest. It works far better, you know."

Nico was holding onto his smirk, even though he could feel it slip. This boy was more than just feisty. He knew what he wanted. Honestly, Nico's charms had never failed him before, but apparently this one required more work than just a nice smile and a compliment. Interesting.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing there with my _boyfriend_?", growled a dark voice.

Nico raised one eyebrow and turned to stare at a glaring blonde. Before he could form a reply, the green-eyed beauty was huffing in exasperation, closing his locker loudly and glaring at both.

"Jason, I've told you a million times before. I am not a damsel in distress that needs you to swoosh in and save my virtue when a boy is hitting on me", sighed Percy agitated before glancing at Nico. "Especially not if their game is as bad as his. Now, if you'd excuse me, I don't need to witness the ensuing pissing-contest between you two neanderthals, I'll head to class."

Nico couldn't help but grin, regardless of the insult, as he watched the sassy boy saunter off. "He's something else alright. A real... force of nature, huh?"

He glanced at Jason and there was a soft and loving glance in those electric blue eyes. "Yeah... He is. And he is _mine_. So don't get any stupid ideas in your head, Ghost Boy."

"It's Ghost _King_ , sparkly blonde", huffed Nico and straightened his back, glaring at Jason.

/break\

Hazel was rather nervous as she headed out to the garden after night fall. Rescuing her siblings had taken quite long and as they had returned this morning, they had gone shopping together. Up until then, it had been surreal euphoria for Hazel. Only when they had to confront Chiron and Lupa had it become real. Going to classes, with everyone whispering about her siblings, then Nico's little demonstration during lunch break. The di Angelos were in everyone's mind and mouth. So it was no surprise that after her history classes, her teacher and father requested for her – in the most neutral way possible – that she should meet him in the gardens at nightfall. And here she was, nervous.

"Hello, Hazel", greeted her stepmother in a soft, nearly dreamy voice. "My little thief."

It wasn't just any garden. It was Persephone's garden. Said Spring Goddess was sitting amidst her roses, carefully tending to them as she did every evening. Great. So Hazel wouldn't have to face just Pluto, no, she'd also have to deal with stepmother dearest. Not that she really had anything against Proserpina, the goddess had pretty much accepted Hazel and taken care of her and sided with her. Still, it enforced the image of a guilty girl having to deal with her parents' chiding.

"H—Hello, Proserpina", greeted Hazel nervously. "Uh, I... I didn't really mean to _steal_. I was planning on returning the keys tonight, honestly. I wasn't... I didn't..."

"She meant you stole two souls from me", interrupted a dark, serious voice.

"I'd prefer the term 'freeing'. Percy made that sound very fitting", objected Hazel softly.

"Percy", repeated Pluto with a very displeased and constipated look on his face. "Not the best thing my brother created. Always causing trouble. Such as this. I hope you know I'm very cross with you, Hazel. I understand why you did it and I do... appreciate to see Bianca and Nico having a chance at a life, but I do not _tolerate_ for anyone to go behind my back, especially not my own children. You have always had my favor, but you will have to go without that for a while, young lady."

Hazel hung her head and nodded obediently. "I'm... not sorry, father. I regret going behind your back, but I am not sorry. Being able to hug Bianca and Nico, to show them everything here, have them meet my friends, no longer hiding them like a secret..."

Pluto heaved an exasperated sigh, as though he had already anticipated that answer. He grasped Hazel by the shoulders, giving them a little squeeze to gain her attention. When she lifted her head, he looked her deep in the eyes and saw that determination he knew all too well from himself.

"No one can know the truth", whispered Pluto urgently. " _No one_. You know that, right?"

Hazel nodded, even though it was a stuttering motion. Pluto gave her a last once-over before he turned around and left. There was a lump in the pit of Hazel's guts, because she knew he was right. No one could know, because the demigods would be the ones to suffer the consequences. All five of them. Somehow, this secret felt even heavier than before, because she had dragged two very dear friends into this. Yet at the same time, this also made it feel lighter, because she had someone she could rely on and share this burden with. She jumped a little when someone laid an arm around her shoulder. Staring wide-eyed, she turned to look at her stepmother, who was looking after Pluto.

"You know he's the king of holding grudges, right?", chimed Proserpina amused. "He'll stay mad and glare for a while. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love you, deary. And... don't tell anyone, but I think he is truly grateful, at the bottom of his heart. What happened to the di Angelo siblings hurt your father very much. It caused a major rift between your father and your uncle Jupiter. In the end, it probably was the reason why this school was created. So we gods learn to accept each other's demigodly children, so such a... tragedy would never repeat. Going after the innocent children that have never been involved in a war or fight, who have never chosen any side." Proserpina paused to turn and look at Hazel. "I hope you know that they are your responsibility now. Here. At a school with two children of Jupiter and with my father himself. Don't... Don't let the reason father had all those years ago come true after all. Don't let this blossom into a Civil War, Hazel."

And the burden just grew. Hazel nodded slowly, unable to form words. Proserpina offered her a kind smile and kissed her forehead before vanishing in an ocean of flower petals. Hazel sighed.

/break\

Nico looked around the hall a bit unsure, hopeful he had remembered the room number right. After another moment, he finally knocked. A very unimpressed Asian girl with too much make-up and a too revealing dress opened the door. Her expression turned to very interested as her eyes basically undressed Nico, making him feel utterly violated. Was this truly how girls these days dressed? It was horrifying. Hopefully, his sisters kept their dresses longer than shirts!

"Why, hello there", said the girl in appreciation, eyes hungry.

"Oh gods, stop staring at my brother like he is a piece of meat!", exclaimed Bianca, roughly shoving the Asian girl out of the way. "Fratellino! Come in. Don't mind Drew. She's my... roommate. And the reason there's an empty bed in this room. Is your rooming arrangement as bad as mine? Did you get the scrapes that no one else wanted too? No offense, Nyssa."

Nico noticed the Latina sitting on one of the three beds, scrabbling something on a notebook. "None taken. I know you were talking about the Barbie doll. And hey, we're practically sisters-in-law."

Nico looked a little confused, but he let his sister lead him to her bed, where the siblings sat down, with Bianca smiling tenderly at her little brother. "So, what brings you here, fratellino?"

"I... think I kind of screwed up a little", sighed Nico, running his fingers through his hair. "I kind of made a fool of myself today. And I was hoping for some sisterly advise."

"You... made a fool of yourself?", asked Bianca slowly, frowning concerned.

"Oh. Wait. You're the guy my brother told me about", said Nyssa in realization as she looked up. "Of course you are. Son of Hades, duh. Or no wait, what was it... Ghost Prince?"

"Ghost King!", muttered Nico beneath his breath, glaring at the grinning Latina.

"Oh, you really introduced yourself like _that_?", laughed Bianca, shaking her head.

"Well, I...", started Nico slowly, running his fingers through his hair again. "You saw what Percy was capable of. He was _incredible_. I thought, if that's... the standard at this school... I just... I wanted to fit in. To impress others and... I guess... prove my worth. Things in the army were... easy. You earned the respect of the others. I was just... trying, I guess." Nico heaved a sigh and shook his head. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about, Bia. I... well... Percy was _really_ impressive... And when I got out of class, where everyone was staring at me and whispering about the new kid while Lady Eris at the blackboard talked about what is probably simple physics for others but sounded like a whole new world to me and I saw Percy standing at his locker, smiling. And he was so kind and open when they came to pick us up and I just... went up to him and... had a flirtatious case of word-vomit, I guess. I just hit on him and I think it was one of my worst lines ever. He just ran off after his boyfriend butted in and it was... very awkward and... urgh. All I wanted was to find a way to keep this very amazing boy in my life, because I think that knowing him will make this whole... school more bearable. His excitement was so contagious, I just... want to keep it around..."

Bianca smiled knowingly and nodded. Yes, Percy had indeed been very impressive down in the underworld. Even though they had been on a dangerous quest, Percy and his light-hearted babbling, excitement and the sunshine-like attitude kept the mood so much at ease that it felt more like a walk with friends than a quest, really. She understood why her gay brother was instantly infatuated with the son of Poseidon. Cheeky, head-strong, cunning, happy, beautiful. No surprise there.

"Totally understandable", declared Nyssa, dangling her legs back and forth as she sat at perched at the edge o her bed. "Percy has been stealing more hearts than most Aphrodite kids. Not just with crushes, I mean. He's just the kind of guy to draw you in and never let you go again. It's impossible not to like him. Seriously, everyone who gets to spend time with him wants to be his friend." Nyssa paused and gave Nico a very serious glare. "But we also like Jason. His boyfriend. So, as a well-meant advise, don't try to get between them. They're our golden couple. We love them very dearly."

Nico groaned and rubbed his face. "And that's the problem, I guess. Urgh, I don't mean to be friends with that... that... _Zeus brat_ , but I want to get to know Percy better. And I think I just antagonized myself by hitting on him even though he has a boyfriend. Which I didn't know."

Bianca nodded in understanding, getting a bit more comfortable on her bed. "Then go and tell him that. Apologize for behaving like an idiot, tell him you didn't know he was seeing someone and that you just wanted to put yourself out there. Tell him you want to be friends. He seems like a very sweet guy, I'm sure he'd understand and you could start over."

"It's Percy. He will", declared Nyssa, sounding a hundred percent sure of it.

Nico blinked a few times. "Okay, seriously, _who_ are you?"

"Nyssa Black, daughter of Hephaestus. Sister of Jake, you know the boyfriend of your new roommate, and Leo, the boyfriend of your little sister", chimed Nyssa with a large grin.

Nico heaved a sigh and nodded. So many faces, so many names. He felt like drowning in a sea of people. Another reason why he was trying to cling onto Percy, because he was already a familiar face. Will's boyfriend. Something with 'J'. Well, he hoped he'd be introduced again. Because he also wanted to befriend his two roommates and forgetting his new friend's boyfriend's name was probably not the best start. And then there was Leo. And Frank, actually. Nico really needed to get to know his sister's lovers. He had some brotherly duties to attend to. Aka intimidating the lowlifes who thought themselves worthy of his princess of a sister.

"Hey", whispered Bianca and pulled him into a half-hug so both of them were laying leaned against the headboard. "It's going to be fine. You and me against the world, remember? We'll do this. We'll get through this together. I know you'll be fine. This is a new start for both of us. Let's make the best of it, mh? A whole, new life. You, me, Hazel. Going to school, making friends... falling in love."

The picture Bianca painted was so blindingly bright and colorful, it took Nico's breath away for a moment. This was their second chance. Their chance at a life that had been cruelly taken from them too early. The change to get all the things Nico had never dared to dream about – real friends, growing up with his sister (well, now sisters), falling in love with a boy without having to fear for his life because of it. Maybe even, one day, getting married. A new hope for a new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will feature Nico taking Bianca's advise by going to Percy and apologizing and talking things out. They'll not be the only ones talking things out though. Because Percy and Jason will have a very serious conversation (aka spanking) about Percy leaving for a dangerous quest without telling Jason!
> 
> Next update will be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High" on Wednesday!


	6. Starting a New Life

_Chapter 6: Starting a New Life_

Percy was laying sprawled out on his bed, face plastered on some papers, dead tired. Yesterday evening going to the underworld, spending more than half the night down there on the quest, afterward being dragged through a mall so they could buy time-appropriate clothes for the not-dead-anymore-siblings, then going through an investigation at the hands of Chiron and Lupa at the crack of dawn. Of course a quest was no excuse to skip school today, so Percy still had to go through all his mind-numbingly boring classes. And now that the exhausting school day was over, Percy still had to finish his math homework, which he was currently abusing as a pillow. So when someone knocked on his door and ripped him out of his thoughts, he was more than grateful for that, because it was a great excuse not to continue his math problems. Getting up, he opened the door, since his two roommates were out at the moment. He was mildly surprised to see the handsome Italian on the other side of the door. Of course Nico was good looking, Percy wasn't blind and he had already noticed that back in the underworld and even more so when they went shopping together. And maybe if there wouldn't be Jason, Percy would be a bit more inclined toward that awful flirting and take a bit more time to appreciate the Italian's good looks. But as things were, all he did was raise one unimpressed eyebrow and look Nico up and down with critical eyes.

"Another awful pickup line?", inquired Percy, arms crossed over his chest.

"I came to apologize", replied Nico and ducked his head like a puppy who had just ruined its master's favorite shoes. "I talked to my sister and, well... Bianca pointed out to me that I was a bit too... forward, I suppose. And that I should try and apologize so we could maybe start over."

"Okay", grunted Percy and stepped aside. "Well, come on in, newbie."

"I wanted to explain", continued Nico as he shuffled a bit and looked around the room.

"You don't have to", offered Percy, also raising the other eyebrow. "I mean, it's not the first time someone hit on me. Not even the first time someone hit on me with such a bad pickup line."

"You and Thalia were the ones to help Hazel bringing me and my sister back. I want to... make friends and I feel like the best shot would be with those who brought me back to life, those who know the truth about me and my sister, those I wouldn't have to lie to", said Nico firmly. "So I do. I do need to explain myself. I died in nineteen forty, Percy. I don't know what you learned in history classes, but life for a gay kid were quite different from now. I've heard, from souls who died after me, from my sister when she visited us, how much things have changed and for someone who has never dared to dream of going on an actual date with a boy in fear of my own life, it was rather... I was excited that in this time and day, it would be completely okay to just walk up to a pretty boy and hit on him. I'm sorry if I came off... like an idiot, but it was the very first time I ever got to express something like that. You're just... very pretty and very impressive. I've never seen someone like you, you're incredible, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Seize the moment of being alive, being in this time and place, having such an... intriguing boy right in front of me."

Now it was Percy's turn to duck his head and blush a bit. Incredible? Impressive? Intriguing? Sure, people had hit on him before, but something about Nico's words was so very honest and it sounded as though it meant more. Not just because Percy was pretty, not just because Percy was the son of Poseidon, but because Percy was _Percy_. And the only one who ever made him feel that way was Jason. Shaking his head, Percy tried to fight his blush. This son of Hades was going to be trouble.

"It's... alright", whispered Percy after a moment and sat down on the couch. "Come on, sit down. Tell me something about yourself. You said you want to be friends, right? I understand it's going to be hard for you to make _real_ friends here, since no one aside from you, me, your sisters and Thalia can know where you're _truly_ from. So let's get to know each other. Tell me about your home."

Nico settled to sit comfortably next to Percy and started to tell him about Italy.

/break\

Talking to Nico had been interesting. Honestly, after that very bad attempt at flirting, Percy had thought Nico to be quite shallow and a macho. Though this insecure and honest side Nico had shown when confessing why he had acted the way he had, it was actually quite endearing. And the things he had said about Percy – just thinking about them made him blush a little. Due to the way he had been treated most of his life, it had a strong effect on him when someone spoke honestly highly of him. That aside, Nico was actually a nice guy and it was easy to talk to him.

"Jackson. Janitor's closet. Now", was whispered into his ear.

A strong hand held onto his upper arm, sending an electric shock through him. Percy liked it when Jason manhandled him a bit, when his voice was so dark and demanding. Grinning to himself, Percy turned to face his boyfriend. Though the look on Jason's face was rather serious and actually a bit angry. Wait, had Jason called him 'Jackson'? The easy grin slipped into a worried frown as he followed Jason into the janitor's closet. Serious and angry Jason was generally speaking a good thing for Percy, because those were the first signs of a spanking. But it also meant that Percy had seriously upset his lover. And Percy hated it, he _hated_ disappointing Jason. It made him feel the worst. As soon as the couple was inside the janitor's closet, Percy found himself pinned against the door, a harsh and deep kiss sealing his lips. The hands pinning him wandered and tugged harshly on his clothes, opening Percy's zipper and pulling his jeans and boxers down.

"Over my lap. Right now", growled Jason, biting Percy's earlobe.

Nodding hastily, Percy stumbled to comply. Percy had always lived to do as he was expected to. Sure, he was a little rebel and had a loud mouth, but that didn't mean he didn't try everything possible to follow orders. It was what he loved second most about his relationship with Jason. That things were simple, easy to understand. Jason gave orders, Percy followed said orders and then the best part about their relationship followed – praises and kisses and terms of endearment. Percy yelped and jumped a little as the first hit was placed on his ass without much wait. The second and third hit followed very soon after. This was an unusually harsh spanking. Those were always odd and a little conflicting for Percy. On the one hand, he _loved_ spankings, but on the other, he knew that hard spankings like this meant he had seriously upset Jason and he hated that. Upsetting his boyfriend and dom outweighed the pleasure of a spanking by far. Two more sharp hits and by now, Percy could feel the distinctive stinging. After this spanking, Percy knew he would be sore. The second half of the spanking was more a blur to Percy as he sobbed softly, jolts of pain shooting through his entire body at every sharp spank that was being placed on his ass. When an eleventh hit followed, Percy knew that he must have done something _very_ bad, because generally Jason never gave him spankings with more than ten hits. He jumped slightly at the twelfth hit, his ass growing decidedly more sensitive. It was practically burning, pulsing with pain as the last three hits followed in a row. Percy was left breathing harshly, panting and gasping for breath. When no more spanks followed, Percy cautiously sat up and looked at Jason with large, sea-green eyes, silently asking for permission. Jason nodded sharply, his eyes far softer than before as he laid his arms around Percy's waist and pulled him closer. Percy whimpered softly and nuzzled Jason's neck with his face as the blonde cradled him carefully in his arms. It was rare for Jason spanking him meant Jason was pissed, so a bit of groveling would certainly do it some good. Jason kissed the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, Jay", whispered Percy softly, nibbling Jason's jaw in an apologetic way, staring up at him from between his long lashes. "Though I wouldn't have thought that Nico's flirting bothered you _that much_. Not even Luke gets me a spanking from you normally..."

"...Who?", asked Jason confused, face screwed up with a quizzical expression.

"Nico. The son of Hades. The one who flirted with me earlier", elaborated Percy a bit unsure.

"What? Oh, yeah. That pissed me off too", nodded Jason with a frown, before blinking a couple of times and then glaring at Percy. "Wait. You think I spanked you because of that douchebag? Fuck no. Well, maybe a tiny bit. But no. I spanked you, because you insufferable moron decided to delve right into danger without a second thought. Again. You left for a quest without telling me. You literally went to hell without telling me! What if something happened to you?!"

"Oh. I'm... sorry...", whispered Percy, looking like a guilty, kicked kitten. "But I said 'I love you'."

"What _good_ is that?!", hissed Jason and grasped Percy's face to force him to look at Jason. "When you left yesterday evening, you may have said 'I love you', but all I said was a lame 'Me too'. _Me too_. I just waved at you and dashed off because I was late for practice. Me too. If I would have known you'd leave for a quest, I would have pulled you into a mind-shattering kiss and said the actual words instead of a lame 'Me too'. If something would have happened to you..."

They had this tradition between the two of them. They accepted that couples weren't send on a quest together, because it was entirely too distracting for the demigods at hand and thus too dangerous, but they always parted ways by kissing and telling each other 'I love you' before one of them headed out to a quest. Even if they were in the middle of a fight, they'd never part on ill terms, they would _always_ tell each other that they loved each other when they went on a quest.

"I know", whispered Percy, looking honestly guilty as he looked up at Jason from beneath his lashes. "And I mean it. I truly am sorry. It's just... It was a top secret quest. I couldn't tell you. But I made sure to tell you that I love you. And I wouldn't have left without you saying it back. And everything went fine. Really. Please... Please don't be angry, Jay? I'm so sorry."

He wrapped his arms tightly around Jason as though he never wanted to let him go again and he felt Jason's arms around his waist, holding him in a similar manner. This was why he loved Jason, because Jason loved him _so much_. He needed the blonde, needed to be held like this and to hear that Jason seemed unable to imagine a life without Percy. Jason seemed to need him and Percy needed to be needed, even though it sounded a bit weird to Percy. He still couldn't quite grasp the idea of someone needing him. Jason's hands ran all over Percy's body in a nearly worshiping caress, lips trailing along Percy's neck and shoulders, accompanied by soothing and soft words of praise and love. The two of them remained curled together in a corner of the room, losing track of time.

/break\

Nico was laying sprawled out on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with a dopey grin. Percy Jackson was _amazing_. Honestly, Nico could have spend days just talking with Percy without a pause. They had only parted when Percy's roommates Mike and Alabaster had come back to the room and destroyed the atmosphere of total truth. Nico couldn't continue talking about Italy and the time he came from if there were others. But with Percy? With Percy he could – and would be able to – talk about the life he had before dying and even after. Percy had been very adorably flustered when Nico had told him about having more-or-less dated Theseus. Things in the underworld were different though. With Theseus, it were more like loose hook-ups and rough sex. Up here? He could look for someone to actually date. Go to fancy dinners, have silly walks at the beach, all that stuff. And Percy had been so beautifully accepting of that, such a warm look in those mesmerizing sea-green eyes as he told Nico how happy he was for him to get that chance now and that he would forgive Nico about the bad pick-up-line. Percy was truly, utterly and extremely amazing.

"Well, someone has had a good day", offered Will as he entered the room, looking at Nico.

"Mh. I apologized to Percy and I think I made a new friend", replied Nico and sat up.

He zoomed in on his next targets. Will and Cecil. He was going to live with them, share his home with them. He wanted to be their friend. Finally, he could be _normal_. A normal teenager, going to school and not to war, making friends, doing homework, being a protective brother for his sisters' sakes. Sure, he was still a demigod and as far as he knew there were quests at this school, but it was still the closest to normal that he could ever get. And he was going to enjoy it to its fullest.

"That doesn't look like a new friend. That looks like a new crush", teased Cecil as he threw himself onto his own bed. "Ah, don't glare at me. It's nothing new. Most new guys get star-struck when spending time with Percy. He got that whole sparkly-eyed smile thing going on."

"Oh yes, he does", sighed Will a bit dreamily, earning him two looks. "What? I'm just a gay guy and Percy Jackson is Percy Jackson. Back when he first came to this school, I developed a fast crush on him. But I think he was too oblivious to catch on. Jason had a very hands-on approach to his feelings for Percy, so he had an advantage over us others. But that's okay, I'm over it. I found Jake and damn, that's not a crush, that's love. But I can still appreciate that Percy is hot. I'm not blind."

Nico snorted amused and shook his head. He was going to get along great with Will Solace.

"So, you ready for the first actual real day of school tomorrow?", inquired Cecil. "I mean, today was kind of like 'see this, look at that, meet those'. Not much time to take stuff in, huh?"

"Yeah, I paid like zero attention in class", sighed Nico a bit frustrated.

"Oh. You're coming with me and you are meeting my best friend", declared Will and grabbed Nico's hand, pulling. "Come on, up you go. You've been laying there daydreaming long enough."

"...Where... Where are we going?", asked Nico unsure, not too keen on meeting someone new.

"We are going to meet the second most intelligent person on this campus, who happens to be my best friend since kindergarten", declared Will with a broad grin. "His name is Malcolm Cage, he's a son of Athena and his notes from class have saved many from failing. And he also happens to be in your grade, so... his notes should help you catching up with classes."

"That... sounds really helpful. And you think he'd help me?", asked Nico unsure.

"If I ask him nicely", chimed Will, grin turning into a wide smile. "He's great, don't worry."

"Yeah, have fun studying", snorted Cecil, waving absentmindedly.

"Oh, so you already finished Lady Eris' physics homework that you had due tomorrow?", asked Will, raising one surprised eyebrow. "Because you were complaining the whole weekend and you have been pushing it off every single day since you got it. Malcolm finished it days ago."

Cecil, who was in the same class as Nico and Malcolm, sat up. "Mh... Maybe I could tag along."

Nico snorted amused as the son of Hermes got up and followed them. They didn't have to walk for long before they reached another dorm-room door. After knocking shortly, Will simply entered. Nico was a bit more awkward to follow after, though he too was curious. It smelt like a bar inside. A boy with black, messy hair and red-rimmed eyes sat sprawled on the couch, holding a glass of wine. The other occupant of the room was a blonde, who sat on the floor between about ten different textbooks and papers sprawled out in front of him as though he was working on everything at once. If that was the son of Athena, then he probably was. Nico blinked impressed.

"Mal!", exclaimed Will with a broad, innocent smile. "I want to introduce you to my new roommate Nico di Angelo. He's in your class, but... American school system is new to him. So are all classes."

Malcolm looked up with an upset frown, eying Nico with intense, storm-gray eyes. "So, basically, you signed me up as tutor without asking me? Why do I even put up with you, Solace?"

"Because you love me", chimed Will and plunged down next to Malcolm.

"...No. That can't be it", hummed Malcolm after a moment of pretending to think about it.

"Uhm. Hello, Malcolm. It's a pleasure to meet you and it'd be very appreciated if you'd be able to help me. I never thought American high school would turn out to be a struggle", said Nico.

Malcolm raised one surprised eyebrow and motioned for Nico to sit down next to him. "A guy with manners. What a shocker. Very well, take a seat, tell me what you're struggling with. I know you only had a handful of classes yesterday, but let's start with those, mh?"

"How about we start with physics?", chimed Cecil innocently.

Malcolm adapted a deadpan expression as he looked at the three boys piling around him. Tonight was going to be a long evening, apparently. Hopefully Dakota was willing to share his wine.

/break\

While Nico was trying to catch up on twenty-first century physics class taught by the goddess of discord, Bianca was spending her time decidedly more enjoyably. She was having early dinner with her little sister. It was so wonderful to truly enjoy Hazel's company. And the two of them weren't alone. They sat at a table right outside of _Hestia's Bakery_ , which was apparently the place to go for afternoon snacks, cake, ice-cream and food if they didn't want to eat in the cafeteria. Seeing as Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, she apparently had a bakery as a hobby. Interesting, or so Bianca thought. She smiled pleased as she picked up a raspberry with her fork.

"Leo, please, let me breath!", complained Hazel, sound rather pleased though.

"No", protested the Latino hanging off her neck. "I'm just so happy that your secret wasn't a bad secret, but a nice secret and that you're happy that your sister is so nice!"

Bianca's smile grew as she picked up her cup of coffee. Leo Valdez was the definition of adorable and Bianca fully understood – on a platonic level – why Hazel loved him. The little fire bender adored Hazel and cherished her beyond measurement and he had this happy air surrounding him that was just so true and honest. The boy next to Leo grunted amused and grabbed the Latino around the waist, pulling him off Hazel and instead placing him on his own lap.

"Fra—ank", complained Leo with a pout, making grabby-motions for Hazel.

"No. Eat your cake and let Haze breath, little lion", hummed Frank, kissing Leo's neck.

Frank was this broad, muscular, tall guy who easily intimidated others, but when Bianca watched the son of Mars – another reason why he was intimidating was his legacy alone – together with Leo and Hazel, he was more like an oversized teddy-bear, ready to hand out cuddles. The thing was however that Bianca could clearly see that if anyone was to try and lay a hand on either Leo or Hazel, he would easily turn into a grizzly ready to shred everyone in his way to protect his lovers.

"You found wonderful boyfriends, sorellina", stated Bianca casually. "They clearly love you."

Both Frank and Leo blushed adorable shades of scarlet and ducked their heads, causing the daughters of the underworld to laugh in amusement. Hazel leaned over and rested her cheek against Bianca's shoulder, watching her boyfriends' embarrassment with fond eyes. This was it. This was the life she had wanted. Sharing her happiness and world with her siblings. Whatever hardships may await her, whatever dangerous showdown Pluto may be anticipating, it would be worth it.

/break\

A bright smile lit up Percy's face, fingers linked with Jason's as they headed over to the stables. They had spend nearly an hour cuddling before heading to dinner and during that, Percy had gotten roped into pretty-please going on a ride with Tyson. And since he had some making-up to do with Jason, he had suggested for Jason to tag along. Seeing as Tyson adored Jason, that was a done deal.

So here he was, heading to the stables with his boyfriend and his little brother. That was it, that was what Percy loved the most. The two people he loved the most, doing something he loved.

"Big brother, I love you!", declared Tyson with a happy grin as he ran up to his pony and hugged it. "Thank you for taking me! I missed Rainbow and I was hoping you'd come with me!"

The way Percy smiled down at his brother was one of those things that made Jason's heart flutter in this utterly ridiculous way. But then again, he knew how often Percy's smiles were fake, trying not to worry anyone. So those real smiles, the genuine ones that were so filled with love that they shone brighter than the sun and stars themselves. Whenever Jason got to see those smiles – even more so when Percy would aim such a smile at _him_ – Jason couldn't even comprehend how lucky he was to have this beautiful, gentle, sweet, strong and amazing boyfriend in his life.

"You know what I brought, Ty?", asked Jason with a grin, lifting the lid of the basket he carried.

"Oh my gosh, doughnuts!", exclaimed Tyson with sparkling eyes.

Tyson stole two, stuffing one into his own mouth and offering the other one to Rainbow. The young pegasus whined happily and started munching on the doughnut. Percy turned to give Jason a grateful little smile before taking two doughnuts for himself. After taking one bite, he placed a chaste kiss on Jason's lips, tasting like sugar and salt all the same. Grinning pleased, Jason put the basket down and went to caress Tempest, who only whined as though he was complaining. He was nearly always complaining, most of the time about Arion. For a little while, the three demigods simply took care of their respective pegasi, cleaning their boxes and feeding them.

"So... This Nico-character...", started Jason casually after about half an hour.

"His name is just Nico, not 'this Nico-character'", said Percy amused, combing Blackjack's mane.

"Whatever", grunted Jason with the slightest glare, wiggling his nose. "What we said before. When you thought I was angry because of him. I guess I was, partially. You know how much I hate it when others flirt with you, but he? He's a total stranger. And... something about him just... rubs me the wrong way. I don't want you to hang out with him, okay?"

"...Not okay", answered Percy, leaning out of Blackjack's box enough to throw Jason an utterly confused glance. "Nico is actually really nice. We talked earlier, he came over to my room to apologize about hitting on me, saying he didn't know I had a boyfriend. See, it's all fine."

"I don't think he's nice", muttered Jason. "I think he's a douchebag."

"And you're entitled to your prejudiced, superficial opinion", chimed Percy. "No one said _you_ have to befriend him. But _I_ will. I like him, he was very nice to me earlier and we had a great conversation. It's easy to talk to him. And he's totally new to this school, the only people he knows are his sisters. So I plan on becoming his friend and helping him out around here."

Jason grimaced and hid his face in Tempest's mane. He knew he had no say in who Percy would hang out with, even though he spanked Percy when Luke or another guy would hit on Percy. But that was something they had agreed on. If a guy hit on Percy, Jason would get to live out his jealousy and punish Percy. Not that that ever stopped Percy from hanging out with the guys flirting with him. After all, it had been Percy's suggestion, because he helped them relieve some of the tension building up from Jason's jealous and possessive nature. He was, after all, the son of his father. Though sometimes it bugged Jason just how much Percy enjoyed his punishments.

"I'm gonna have to get used to this Nico-character, don't I?", sighed Jason frustrated.

"It'd be a great start if you'd start calling him 'Nico'", suggested Percy amused.

"Why do you have to be so kind and sweet?", complained Jason with a pout.

"Because my big brother is the biggest superhero ever and superheroes are always kind and sweet!", exclaimed Tyson eagerly and happily. "And my big brother is the very-very best!"

Jason grinned broadly and nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes he is."

"Stop embarrassing me, both of you!", protested Percy and Jason could practically hear the blush.

Jason and Tyson exchanged a large grin. "Nope! Because we love you!"

/break\

Half-way into the physics homework, Malcolm's girlfriend Katie, daughter of Demeter, had joined them and provided them with borderline disgusting healthy snacks. But Nico had never expected to have that much fun doing homework. Only when it was getting late did Malcolm kick them all out, because he wanted to spend some time with Katie alone. Nico was positively exhausted by the time he and his roommates returned to their own room. But instead of going to bed, he was invited onto the couch to watch a movie with Cecil and Will on Will's laptop to comfortably end the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, all the children of the Big Three are going to meet properly! Will Nico stand true to his resolutions and make friends with them all, or is the fact that nice and kind Percy is dating a son of Jupiter too much after all? Will Jason cave in and try to befriend Nico as Percy would surely like, or are the looks Nico gives Percy just too much to bear? Will Percy realize the dick-measuring contest going on around him...? Questions over questions!
> 
> The next update will be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High" on Wednesday! ^^


	7. Training of the Little Big Three

_Chapter 7: Training of the Little Big Three  
_

Nico was laying sprawled out on a stretch of grass, arms crossed behind his head, backpack abused as a pillow beneath them. He was staring absentmindedly into the sky, watching the clouds move. It was strange. The sky still looked the way he remembered it. The same shade of blue, the same kind of clouds, the same sun shining down from above. Even on another continent, even seventy years later. It was still the same sky he had gazed into when they were on their mission to Greece, when they were leaving home, when they were heading right into their doom. Nico shot up straight as a loud sound startled him, his heart beating a thousand miles a second as he stared wide-eyed, frantically searching for the source of the sound – an explosion? A shot?

"I've told you a thousand times, fireworks aren't toys, Cecil", chided Will completely unamused.

Panicked eyes found the blonde son of Apollo seated in his boyfriend's lap while glaring at Lou and Cecil like a mother would. Cecil and his best friend Lou were working on special magical fireworks after the three roommates had been watching the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy last night and Cecil decided that a daughter of Hecate surely could help him getting dragon-firework too. Fireworks. No guns or explosions. The sky may look the same, but it wasn't. He wasn't in nineteen-forty, he wasn't headed out to the front, he was _not going to die again_.

"Are you alright, Nico?", asked Katie worried, resting a calming hand on his shoulder.

Blinking slowly, Nico turned toward the pretty brunette daughter of Demeter. They were enjoying the afternoon together – Will, Cecil and Nico had asked Malcolm for some more tutoring in a subject that Lou could use the help too and Malcolm had only agreed if they'd do it in the gardens where his girlfriend Katie would be. Shaking his head, Nico looked at the hand on his shoulder. His own hand was beneath hers, clawing at his shoulder so hard that his knuckles turned white. He could feel it, even through his thin black shirt, the thick scarring where the bullet had ripped his skin, his artery, leaving him mortally wounded on the battleground to bleed out in the dirt.

"I... was just startled", replied Nico, voice only a little shaky. "I was in the middle of dozing off when those two brats decided to make a big commotion."

"You weren't supposed to doze off to begin with", grunted Malcolm unimpressed and looked up from the papers in front of him. "I have better things to do than tutoring you guys."

"You don't", disagreed Will without missing a beat. "Since Katie here is busy with the roses, you wouldn't have had anything better to do. So don't bitch, be nice."

" _We_ could have had something better to do", mumbled Jake with a pout on his face.

Nico, rubbing a couple circles over his scar before loosening his grip again and lowering his hand into his own lap, turned to look at the other couple on his other side. It warmed his heart and calmed him down some to see Jake and Will together. Openly together, in public. Will sat snuggled up on Jake's lap, curled up so he could read a book while abusing Jake's chest as his pillow. Such a public display of affection between two boys, it nearly blew Nico's mind. Sure, he had seen it in movies and TV shows over the past two decades, but seeing it live, from real people? And the only reactions that Jake and Will got were cooing sounds from children of Aphrodite or friendly teasing from the Hermes kids. Nico's heart ached. He wanted that too. Wanted a cute boy he could hold in public and kiss and cuddle with, without any fear.

"You know you're running late for training, right, Nico?", inquired Will, again like a worried mother.

"Huh?", grunted Nico confused, pulled out of his thoughts. He got his schedule out and checked, frown deepening. "Right. I wanted to ask you guys that anyway. What in Hades is a B3 Training?"

"Big Three. Jason, Thalia, Percy and Hazel have special training every Friday. And since you and your big sister are also children of one of the Big Three, you'll also attend those classes", supplied Malcolm, raising one eyebrow. "So you didn't know what it was and decided to ignore it?"

"Worked all the time for me before", shrugged Nico casually. "Well, I better get going then."

"Be back for movie night", ordered Will. "It's your turn to pick a movie, after all."

Nico grinned and mock-saluted the son of Apollo before leaving. The three roommates always ended up watching movies around nine in the evening, joined by others like Malcolm and Katie or Lou or Jake, depending on what movie they chose and if the others had time. Over the past few days, Nico had grown very fond of this small circle of people around him. So far, Nico liked Novus Olympus and he liked the new friends he was making. This first week had gone without a hitch and once he'd survive this B3 Training thing, he could check his first week of school as a full success.

/break\

When he entered Gym 5, which had been assigned to that B3 Training, he realized he was the last one to arrive to the party and the thought made him slightly uncomfortable. Bianca sat together with the Thalia girl who had brought them here. Both were wearing tight training pants and tank tops, Bianca in white and Thalia in black. Hazel sat a little off with Percy and that blonde guy who got to call himself Percy's boyfriend. Percy and Hazel were helping each other stretching pre-training while the blonde guy was quite obviously and very lecherously so leering at the admittedly impressive way Percy was able to bend himself. Nico paused for a moment to admire that view himself before Hazel spotted him and smiled and waved wildly.

"Nico! I started to think you were skipping!", exclaimed Hazel happily.

"Uhm, well, no, I just... got side-tracked?", offered Nico instead, grinning at her.

"You didn't know what it was so you decided to ignore it", snorted Bianca, rolling her eyes.

"Very well", interrupted Chiron loudly, clapping once to gain their attention. "If you want to have a friendly chat... that's what your free time is for. Right now, you're supposed to spar and to hone your godly powers. Now that we can welcome two new children of Hades, we can mix things up a little more. For now, safe match-ups. Thalia with Bianca, Jason with Hazel and Percy, you're going to take on Nico here. Don't go easy on him, since he made us all wait."

Nico frowned and tugged on his jogging pants. Now he was glad he had gone back to his room and changed before coming here. Somehow he doubted Chiron would appreciate any more of a delay. He blinked slowly as all of a sudden, his view was blocked by a broadly grinning face. A large grin was stretching those pink, pretty lips and making those ridiculously bright sea-green eyes sparkle and brighten even more. There was absolutely no denying how attractive Percy Jackson was, but there was exactly one problem – one blonde, stupidly grinning (and sadly enough also vastly attractive) problem that just started sparring with Nico's baby sister.

"Hello again", grinned Percy brightly. "We barely saw each other the whole week. That totally needs to change, you know? Since I've decided that we're going to be friends and all."

"Uhm... yes?", tried Nico a little unsure, nodding slowly.

"Awesome!", declared Percy excited. "So you're gonna come and eat pizza with me and the others? It's our post-training tradition, kind of. Since Chiron makes us suffer so much."

When Percy was excited, he was positively beaming, like the sun itself. It made Nico question if Percy wasn't a son of Apollo after all. Percy's smiles were _definitely_ brighter than the sun. So Nico felt nearly forced to nod in agreement. The smile turned into a shark-like grin as Percy took on a fighting stance the moment Chiron clapped again. Nico's eyes flittered over to check on the others. Bianca and Thalia were dancing around each other, circling each other like two panthers. Hazel and Jason instantly fell into a fighting routine. Nico grunted as all of a sudden, a foot hit his side.

"Sorry. I don't like being ignored", hummed Percy, not sounding sorry at all.

"You take this stuff serious", grunted Nico, rubbing his ribs.

"It's our training. Without it, we'd be in serious trouble on quests", shrugged Percy, raising one eyebrow. "It's not a game because quests aren't a game. Now come on, give it your all. There is only one rule during B3 Training. No weapons. Your powers are your weapons."

"And aside from that", started Nico and dodged Percy's other foot. "Everything goes?"

"Everything goes", confirmed Percy and ducked down.

Nico noted the way Gym 5 looked. There was a pool at the short end, a climbing wall of solid rock opposite it and a path of dirt along the whole length between them and opposite the entrance. Part of the ceiling was made of glass and was being mechanically opened at the moment. The rest of the ceiling had various ropes and ladders hanging down from it and aside from a couple of mats in the very center of the gym, where the six teens were at the moment, there were multiple different kinds of gymnastic tools standing around. The way the ground sunk beneath Hazel as she and Jason moved toward the earthy part of the gym told Nico that this gym had been truly and thoroughly designed for the Big Three and their children. Nico grunted as he hit the ground after Percy knocked him off his feet. Okay, he should probably focus on the gorgeous son of Poseidon in front of him.

"You gonna take me serious or would you rather do some more cloud gazing?", asked Percy.

"Sorry. This is all a bit new", grunted Nico and gathered himself up. "Okay. I'm all yours."

Percy blushed and ducked his head at that choice of words. Nico used his distraction against him this time and landed a hit against Percy's hip. Nico started to realize why B3 Training took place after school out on Friday, so the kids of the Big Three had a chance to heal up again. Nico elegantly dodged Percy as the son of Poseidon lunged at him. Though Percy still managed to knock his elbow into Nico's stomach hard enough to make him grunt. Nico grabbed Percy's hand and twisted it behind the boy's back, forcing him onto the ground and kneeling on Percy's lower back. The feeling of victory didn't even have a chance to settle in his stomach because bfore that, Nico got washed away by the salt water from the pool that Percy was controlling with his free hand. Nico hit the stone wall hard, grunting once again. That was going to leave a nasty bruise. Not that he had time to think about that, because suddenly Percy had his arm against Nico's throat, grinning at him even more dangerously than a shark. Percy was cute and bright like the sunshine when he was happy, but when he was fighting? He was a complete predator. Nico had seen him fight in the underworld, but that was something else than facing the boy. He was vicious and precise and still so elegant. All the fascination with Percy Jackson didn't stop Nico from fighting the boy though. He kneed Percy's crotch, causing the boy to whimper and tumble back. Nico smirked wickedly and lunged at Percy. A couple of exchanged kicks and hits and tumbles later and they were on the other side of the gym, the ground beneath them giving in as they left the hardwood panels and reached the dirty parts. Percy lifted his fist to hit Nico, but with the full force of water hitting him. The water seemed to surround him, holding him prisoner and for a moment, he feared he'd drown while standing on ground. Balling his fists, Nico thrust them down, feeling the water's resistance. And then the water broke off him as Percy went down with a yelp, being held down by four skeletons. Shaking the water off, Nico went to stand above Percy with a victorious grin on his lips. He liked this look on Percy, flushed from the fight, covered in sweat and dirt, clothes and hair ruffled, cheeks flushed and completely defenseless as he was being held down like this.

"Y—You... You beat me", whispered Percy, sounding both in awe and wounded at the same time.

"You're an awesome opponent, but yes, I beat you", declared Nico with a smirk, releasing the skeletons and offering Percy a hand. "You're good, but you only used your powers for your little quests so far. I used them during World War II. I _killed people_ using my powers."

A shudder went down Percy's spine at those words as Nico helped him up. Right. Nico was... Nico was a WWII veteran. A soldier. Shaking his head, Percy tried to not think about Nico in a uniform.

"Perce, are you alright?"

Blinking slowly, the son of Poseidon turned to look at his boyfriend, who instantly cupped his cheek concerned. Smiling softly at Jason, Percy nodded. He found it utterly endearing how much Jason would worry about him at all times. Leaning in, he pecked Jason's lips softly.

"Of course I am. It was a fun fight", grinned Percy, hitting Jason's forehead a bit forcefully with his own. "Idiot. It's just training. Stop fussing. I'm not helpless."

"I know", huffed Jason annoyed, glaring a bit. "I know how kick-ass my boyfriend is. That's why I'm worried when someone got my Percy pinned to the ground."

At this, he glared darkly at Nico. It made the son of Hades uncomfortable, but it also riled him up. He wanted to growl at Jason like a dog defending his territory, but then he remembered that this was basically what Jason had just done, because _Percy was Jason's territory_. Damn Will Solace for being right. This so was a crush and maybe even more than it.

"Okay, guys. We're leaving. I owe this awesome lady here a beer", declared Thalia loudly.

She had one arm wrapped around Bianca's shoulder, both girls grinning broadly, though Bianca blushed a bit and averted her eyes. "I don't understand why though, since I won."

"And that's why", countered Thalia with a large grin. "Hit the showers, guys."

"No alcohol. Five of you are minors!", called Chiron out chidingly as he approached them. "But aside from your inappropriate suggestion, Thalia, you all did good today. Still, children. Thalia, Hazel and Percy, you owe my wife or Lady Hestia a visit and if you don't do so before next Friday, you are in a lot of trouble with me. Bianca and Nico, I would like for you to visit Chariclo or Hestia too within next week. They're our school's counselors and it is customary that demigods visit a counselor after a quest. And I would like for someone to evaluate how well you two are settling in your new surroundings. No, this is _not_ negotiable for either of you. Now go."

"Okay, so we're gonna get showered, changed and then we'll meet up at Jason's", declared Percy with a broad grin, slipping his hand into Jason's. "You two will come too, right?"

"Or course they will", declared Hazel for her siblings before turning to them with the largest, most pleading sad eyes possible. "Right? You'll come and hang out with us, right?"

Nico made a strangled sound as both Hazel _and_ Percy looked at him pleadingly. "S—Sure."

This at least explained why Will had demanded for Nico to be back before movie night even though movie night only started in like five hours from now. With that, the six of them parted ways, though Jason slipped one arm rather possessively around Percy's waist and said, way louder than necessary, that Percy would come to his room right away and shower there, making Percy giggle. Nico felt like gagging and he was already looking forward to facing Jason during training.

/break\

"So, how did training go?", asked Will casually, not looking up from the book he was reading, when Nico exited the showed that he had wordlessly entered before. "Who did you face?"

"Yeah and how bad did you get your ass handed?", wanted Cecil to know, grinning teasingly.

"I won against Percy", replied Nico with a slight glare at his roommates. "Thanks for the vote of confidence though. It's a real ego-booster. Now, what does one wear for... pizza night?"

"Wait, wait, wait, you _won_? Against _Percy_?", asked Cecil startled.

"He's good, but yes", confirmed Nico. "Now, clothes. Be a bit helpful, guys."

"How would we know what to wear to pizza night? It's a Big Three only event", chuckled Will. "And don't be so casual. Percy is the best this school got. He hasn't lost a training match since his first half year here when he was still learning from Clarisse and Luke."

"It's at Jason's room. Where is Jason's room?", asked Nico while going through what little clothes he had. "Then at least tell me what to wear to... I don't know, impress kids of the Big Three."

"You meant to say what to wear to impress Percy Jackson", laughed Will teasingly and got up. "And Jason's room is just five rooms down the hall on the opposite side."

Nico made a non-committed sound and stepped aside. Will got the tightest black shirt out that hugged Nico's arms in the right ways and a relatively tight pair of jeans, looking pleased.

"We're going shopping tomorrow", declared Will with a frown. "You need more clothes."

Dropping the towel around his waist and getting changed, Nico grunted and nodded. If there was one thing he had learned in the past week, it was that there was no changing Will's mind once it was set. Straightening the shirt a last time, Nico waved his roommates goodbye and headed out again.

When Nico entered through the already open door, he realized why they had picked this room for their hang-out. It was also Frank's and Leo's. Hazel's boyfriends. Their beds were pushed together and the two, together with Hazel, were sprawled out on it. By the looks of it, Frank and Leo were busy fawning over Hazel for her defeat of Jason. Something Nico was mighty proud of too.

On the other side stood Jason's bed, occupied by both the infuriating blonde and Percy Jackson. Percy was laying on top of Jason, with the blonde resting one hand on his boyfriend's lower back and his other hand running through Percy's way too soft looking hair. Nico gritted his teeth. So far, he hadn't seen anything that showed this son of Jupiter _deserved_ Percy, while the more time he spend with Percy, the more endearing and amazing qualities he got to see.

"Nico! Come and sit with us!", demanded Bianca with laughter in her voice.

Nico smiled, but then he frowned when he noticed that Thalia and Bianca weren't the only ones on the couches. There were four other girls with them. That was definitely confusing. There was a gorgeous Latina with a pretty native American girl sitting on her lap. The native American was turned toward the beds, talking to Leo and Jason. The Latina all the while was talking to a perky blonde with definitely too large breasts and a feisty looking redhead.

"Uhm... hello", greeted Nico reluctantly, looking for a place to sit.

"This is Rachel Dare, she's the incarnation of the Oracle of Delphi", explained Bianca enthusiastically, pointing at the redhead. "And those are Reyna and Piper, they're a couple. And this is... uhm, this is Annabeth. Annabeth and Reyna are two of the elected leaders of this school."

"I think it's endearing that us being a couple needed pointing out", grinned Piper amused.

Bianca blushed and ducked her head. That was when Nico realized that neither of them had actually ever met a lesbian before. Two girls in a relationship. Sure, they had seen it on _Buffy_ and other shows, but it still was different to meet them in person. All the girls waved at Nico in a way of friendly greeting before returning to their respective conversations.

"Come and sit down", ordered Percy amused and sat up.

Nico wanted to ask where, but then Percy patted the spot next to him on the bed. Sitting on one bed with Percy? And Percy's very grumpy looking boyfriend? But then Percy grinned at him and he gave in. After all, he wanted to be _friends_ with Percy and it was totally okay to sit next to a friend. Jason grunted disgruntled and also sat up, leaning against the headboard and pulling Percy onto his lap with a possessive grip. Percy grinned and grabbed the pizza box from the nightstand, holding it up like an offering. Nico reluctantly sat down opposite the couple and took a slice of the pizza. Salami and ham. Taking a bite, Nico surveyed the gathered group.

"Rachel, Reyna and Annabeth actually came because they wanted to talk council meeting stuff. Piper tagged along because she refuses to cancel date night for council business", explained Percy casually as he noticed Nico's inquisitive gaze. "Oh. Right. Do you know about the council yet?"

"I... don't think so", grunted Nico around a mouth full of pizza.

"What do you want to drink, Nico?", asked Hazel softly. "Frank, can you get him something?"

Frank obediently nodded and got up to get to the small fridge as Nico answered. "A coke?"

Raising both eyebrows, Nico took the coke from the tall, broad Canadian, who squirmed under his gaze. Good, that meant Frank knew what was going on. Nico was Hazel's brother. Hazel was Nico's beloved, cherished little baby sister, who was under his protection. Squirming one last time, Frank practically fled back onto his own bed, where the small Latino instantly crawled onto his lap.

"Thank you, Frank", stated Nico calmly and evenly.

"Y—You're welcome", grunted Frank, biting back the 'sir'.

"Nico, stop intimidating my boyfriends", sighed Hazel with a pout.

"I didn't do a thing", chimed Nico innocently. "Did I do something, Frank?"

The son of Mars just shook his head wildly and Percy laughed softly. "You're dangerous, Nico di Angelo. Frank and Leo would do good to be perfect gentlemen with you around, huh?"

Smirking at the son of Poseidon, he winked conspiratorially. He liked how observant Percy was. Jason snorted amused, raising one eyebrow and Nico locked eyes with the blonde.

"Those two have been with Hazel longer than you know her", pointed Jason out.

"That has nothing to do with how much I love Hazel", countered Nico with a glare. "She's family. Mia sorellina. My baby sister. And I will protect my family."

Something in the hard, jealous electric-blue eyes softened at that, a surprised look on his face and for a split moment there was even a hint of a smile on Jason's face. Nico frowned confused.

"So", grunted Percy, getting Nico's attention back. "Council. Since we have Greek and Roman demigods, we have a school council. When someone has problems, they can come to said council and ask for help. We organize stuff and take care of the clubs and all. Since we're the most powerful demigods at this school, Thalia, Jason, Hazel and me are on the council, two Romans and two Greeks. Then there are the elected leaders – Reyna is a daughter of Bellona, Frank is a son of Mars, then there are Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, and Luke, a son of Hermes. The final members of the council are Rachel, our Greek oracle, and Octavian, the Roman augur."

"So... where are these other two? Luke and Octavian?", asked Nico after a short headcount.

"...They're too busy having sex", stated Rachel with a deadpan. "They're a... very... special kind of couple. When you try to get between Octavian and his Luke, our dear augur looses it. So, it'll be better if I just inform them later on. Let them have fun now. Makes for a more peaceful meeting."

"You bet", grunted Jason beneath his breath.

Humming curiously as he noted the fiercely possessive and jealous gleam in Jason's eyes, Nico settled more comfortably on the blonde's bed. He liked the way that jealousy made Percy giggle. Apparently, the son of Poseidon enjoyed that his boyfriend was so possessive. So far, Nico had deemed that a negative quality of Jason's, but the way it made Percy smile made Nico reevaluate that. Jason started nuzzling Percy's neck while offering his boyfriend a piece of pizza. Okay, maybe a second good quality about Jason. He did know that someone as overwhelmingly amazing as Percy deserved to be worshiped and spoiled. Not that Nico was going to _like_ that son of Jupiter, but still.

"Well, what is that council meeting about if it's so pressing?", inquired Bianca curiously.

"An away game of our football team tonight", answered Thalia with a grin.

"Sport is such a mess", sighed Annabeth pained and shook her head. "They're always so loud, the other schools are loud, we have to organize safe transportation for the team and those who desire to tag along to cheer them on, which _always_ turns out to be more than half the school..."

Nico raised one eyebrow as he noted the fond tiny smile on his sister's lips as she looked a little too deeply into Annabeth's eyes. Nico knew, even though Bianca had never voiced it or explicitly expressed it, that his sister appreciated the female body far more than the male body. Especially the curvy female body and that blonde was _very_ curvy. Nico had to grin to himself whenever he caught his sister's gaze dropping from Annabeth's eyes to her cleavage. It was decidedly deeper cut than anything they were used to from their time and seeing it on TV was, once again, entirely different than seeing it live. Nico found it utterly hilarious to see his always composed big sister so distracted. What was even funnier was that whenever her eyes dropped, her attention got pulled back to Annabeth's eyes by the conversation, which seemed to be equally captivating as the view.

"What kind of... away game?", inquired Nico curiously.

"We're leaving in half an hour for a game against Valhalla High", replied Frank while nuzzling Leo's neck. "It's why we always get out early on Fridays, because all the big sporting events are on Fridays. And today, we're gonna kick some Norse ass."

"Norse ass? Valhalla High?", echoed Nico a bit lost, turning to Percy.

"Novus Olympus is the Graeco-Roman school, but do you have any idea how many different pantheons there are?", countered Percy with a grin. "Nearly every pantheon you could imagine has its own boarding school for training and education and safety of its heroes. We face each other off in sporting events, it's why basically everyone is eager to join a team. Which you should too, by the way. It's awesome. Today's game is held by the Norse kids at their school and there's always some last minute planning required for safe transportation since half the school wants to tag along."

"It's practically the only action we get to see", grunted Leo. "I mean, come on. We're only allowed to leave for the mortal world in sets of three, not more so we won't attract any attention. But the games? They're held on safe territory, meaning we can go in bigger groups and have fun."

"And it means we get to see the demigods of other pantheons", added Annabeth, looking excited.

"You're really looking forward to that, mh?", asked Bianca with a grin.

"My cousin Magnus, he's the quarterback of Valhalla High", answered Annabeth, looking proud.

"Clarisse is really looking forward to seeing Gunilla again", sighed Reyna a little frustrated.

"Well, it's not on our school property, so Sam will have to worry about the damage that does", chimed Rachel with a mischievous smile. "Tonight, they're not our problem. Our problem is keeping the Stolls as far away from the children of Loki as possible."

"Clarisse, a daughter of Ares and good friend of ours, she has this... competition going on with a daughter of Thor", explained Percy when he noticed Nico's (once again) lost look. "They do everything, from arm-wrestling to anything you could imagine. It always ends in pointless destruction, which is why we're always happy when it doesn't happen _here_."

"That... sounds really fascinating, actually", admitted Nico surprised. "Demigods of other pantheons? I never... thought about it. But then again, why should only our parents be real...? Wow."

"Yeah, wow", laughed Percy, smiling at Nico. "It's too bad you can't come today, I mean, I should have thought of explaining this and inviting you earlier, but it's been a busy five days since you joined. Next time though. Oh, next time would be the basketball game against Pyramid High. You're gonna love Walt, he's great. And I can introduce you to Carter, who's like my platonic soulmate."

"Emphasis on the 'platonic'", grunted Jason and rolled his eyes.

Nico got more comfortable as he listened to Percy talking about the other schools, with jibes from Jason, Leo, Frank and Hazel occasionally, while in the background, Rachel, Thalia, Reyna and Annabeth seemed to be planning tonight's trip and explaining things to Bianca at the same time. Bianca seemed as fascinated by all of this as Nico himself felt. Whenever the four female council members were too busy planning to explain and talk to Bianca, Bianca found herself eagerly questioning Piper about the various clubs and past competitions.

"Okay, guys. Time to wrap it up. Get changed, Jason and Frank, get your stuff. We're meeting up outside in exactly fifteen minutes!", declared Annabeth all of a sudden, startling Nico.

Time had passed way too fast. Nico would love to spend another hour or two just talking to Percy and listening how animated and excited he was. Even though it was about Jason, but the way Percy's eyes lit up with pride at his quarterback of a boyfriend, it was endearing. Nico had a lot of fun teasing the son of Jupiter. It was amusing to rile the blonde up and to see how annoyed he could get. Nico even enjoyed talking to Frank and Leo – though he enjoyed making them squirm and embarrassing them far more. He waved them goodbye with a tight-lipped smile and headed back to his own room. He was definitely looking forward to being on the away-list for whatever game was up next, just to learn more and see more and to spend more time with Percy and those others. Back in his own room, he flopped down on the couch between Will and Cecil after putting the second _Captain America_ movie in. Will had already made popcorn and Cecil had brought enough sweets to put them into a diabetic coma. For tonight, he was gonna have fun with his roommates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Bob is going to join the school. He should have done so this chapter, but somehow Nico's flashback-scene wasn't taking into account there and the chapter ran a little away from me. So, Bob will join, Bianca will get to know Annabeth a bit better and Nico is going to be forced on a shopping trip with Will! Fun times!
> 
> Next update will be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High" on Saturday, because I'm very much nearing my semester finals, sooo only one update a week. I'm positive you'll all live through it ;) (not so positive if I will live, but heeey...)


	8. Part of the Team

_Chapter 8: Part of the Team_

Going shopping on Saturdays was hell. Going shopping with one William Solace was a whole new level of hell. But at least there was Jake to share in on their suffering. Sure, at times the happy couple made Nico feel like a third wheel, but as soon as Will zoomed in on him with determination and started throwing clothes at Nico, Nico wished he was back to being the third wheel. Jake on the other hand found it utterly hilarious to watch Nico suffer.

"So, Will is obviously trying to dress you to impress. Impress who, though?", inquired Jake casually while Will had run off to get Nico 'the perfect pants to go with that shirt'.

Nico heaved a sigh and straightened the admittedly good looking shirt. "Anyone who isn't Percy Jackson, I suppose. I completely understand that this school... ships Percy and Jason. Very hard. I literally saw Silena contributing buttons saying #Jercy. It's ridiculous."

"Ah", nodded Jake with an understanding look, patting Nico hard on the back. "Crush on Jackson, got it. You won't believe how many had to go through that. So yeah, finding someone else to focus on is a good plan and if Will dresses you, chances are high that it'll be a success. So, what's your type? Thanks to my beloved boyfriend, who has made it his life mission to be the mother hen of all gays at this school, I have pretty good connections. Maybe I know someone?"

"My type are dark-haired, bright-eyed, brilliantly smiling, water-controlling, utterly cheeky and very talented sunny-boys", replied Nico with a frown.

"...Yeah, that narrows it down to Percy", grunted Jake and shook his head.

Nico made a huffing sound and waited for Will to return and hand him a pair of faded black jeans, grinning very pleased by himself. Nico obediently headed to the changing room. All of this felt unreal, in a way. Going shopping with friends, talking about cute boys. Living the life of a normal, regular teenager. Something he had never thought he'd get, much less like this. It made him happy.

/break\

Shopping with Will and Jake had made him happy and very exhausted. By the time he returned, Nico first collapsed on his bed and napped for about two hours. Until someone very rudely poked him awake. He glared up at his mischievous big sister sitting on his bed.

"Wake up, sleepy head. It's the middle of the day on a Saturday. How can you sleep?"

"Well, I laid down, closed my eyes; bahm, asleep", huffed Nico and sat up. "What do you want?"

"Annabeth so kindly offered to show me the blackboard and the extracurriculars. Apparently, last night reminded her that we probably haven't been shown those and we need to sign up by Monday if we want to join any clubs for the year", stated Bianca casually. "I figured you may want to come with me and see for yourself what kind of clubs there are. You looked very... motivated by Percy's enthusiasm about the sports-teams yesterday. I can see you'd like to have him cheer you on."

"He. Has. A. Boyfriend", grunted Nico agitated and ruffled his hair.

"All the more reason to join a team", continued Bianca unimpressed. "Since you're not getting laid, you need an output for all the nervous energy. So, find a sport that exhausts you."

"...Can we please not talk about my sex-life? Like, ever?", requested Nico and stood. "Okay, okay. I'll come with you, oh nagging sister mine. Maybe a hobby would be a good idea."

Bianca grinned knowingly as she hooked arms with Nico and guided him outside, where Annabeth was waiting. The blonde raised one eyebrow as she looked Nico's ruffled appearance up and down. Nico, in return, decided to ignore her very existence. Which seemed to be in Annabeth's favor, since the blonde was definitely more intereted in Bianca anyway. The two girls started chatting animatedly and all Nico could do was drown them out as he followed along. Apparently, due to the limit of people only leaving in sets of threes, leaving Olympus on the weekends was not as popular as Nico would have guessed. Thus, weekends were mainly spend on club activities.

"So, what is here to do", inquired Nico as they headed closer to the common room.

It was basically a gigantic living room where all classes could hang out together and also where the blackboard was located. Nico had seen it in passing before, but never paid it much mind. There were only a hand full of kids lounging in the common room, sprawled out on the couches, sitting around the tables and playing games. Nico grinned as he noticed Percy in a corner of the room, sitting together with Will, Mike, Lou and some others Nico hadn't seen before.

"We have a couple of sports-teams that you may be interested in", started Annabeth, pointing at one half of the blackboard. "There's the swim team, the football team, the basketball team, the wrestling team, the soccer team and the archery club. Surely one of those will catch your interest."

Frowning thoughtful, Nico took a closer step and scanned the lists hanging out. They included names of all current members. Percy, not very surprisingly so, was the captain of the swim team. And seeing Will's, Lou's and Mike's names also on that list made Nico assume that the captain was currently having a meeting with his team. So the swim team was already out of question then. The fact aside that Nico couldn't even swim, he wanted to do a sport that may make Percy cheer him on, not see him as competition. Football was very far out of the question, since one Jason Grace was the team captain. Archery seemed like an all girls club, by the looks of it. Wrestling had never actually piqued his interest. Neither had basketball. Soccer however, that was the game he used to play in the backalley behind their mansion for fun during summers, back before everything went to hell.

"Soccer", decided Nico and grabbed the pen dangling from a cord next to the board.

He grinned a little as he noticed some other names on this particular list – Reyna, Cecil and Leo. This could really turn out to be fun. He blinked a couple of times when Bianca took the pen from Nico's hand to sign her own name on the sheet for the archery club, right below Thalia Grace's. Though Bianca didn't stop at that. She also set her name onto the sheets of the cheerleading squad and the book club. Nico grinned at the thought of his sister in a short skirt, waving ponpons.

"Cheerleading?", asked Nico teasingly, grin broadening.

"I want to do something ridiculously normal and very... American", declared Bianca confidently, smiling cheerfully at her little brother. "Besides, I'm going to rock the outfit."

"I'm sure you will", muttered Annabeth beneath her breath, cheerks the slightest hint of pink.

Nico snorted and rolled his eyes. Just then he noticed another reason why Bianca may have signed up for cheerleading. Well, two other reasons if he was going to include that Bianca wanted to show off to Annabeth. There was Hazel's name on the list of cheerleaders. And doing more with their half-sister was kind of what they had both agreed they wanted out of this. So Nico did a quick scan on the various other extracurricular activities – gardening, choir, drama and too many others – he looked for Hazel's name on any other club sheet. When he spotted it, he smiled pleased. Because there, next to Hazel's name, was also Percy's name on the form for the arts club. Perfect. And, just to rile Bianca up, he also signed up for the book club. After all, he did love reading. And he loved mocking his sister, so bugging her during a club she joined for the sake of bonding with Annabeth, that sounded like real entertainment. Bianca made a huffing sound as though she could read his mind, which let's face it, she probably could at this point, after all the years they spend together.

"Perfect. Now, best you note down the dates of the meetings", declared Annabeth pleased.

"With some time to spare, would you care for a coffee?", inquired Bianca with a smile.

"Yeah, coffee sounds great", grinned Nico mischievously.

"No, you should go back to your nappie, my dear _baby_ brother", chided Bianca seriously.

Nico's ears were burning as both girls giggled and left him alone. That was the downside of having a big sister to tease. She tended to tease back. When a hand grasped his shoulder, he jumped and turned, instantly on the defensive side. Sea-green eyes blinked surprised at that reaction.

"Uhm, hi", tried Percy cautiously. "Didn't mean to startle you..."

"No. No, it's fine. Sorry, I'm just... easily startled", offered Nico sheepishly, peeking behind Percy to see the rest of his meeting scrambling. "So... you done with your team business?"

"Huh? Yeah", nodded Percy with a pleased grin. "There was some stuff we had to go over before training tonight. And what were you doing with Annabeth?"

"Oh, you should rather ask what my sister is doing with Annabeth", offered Nico amused. "I was signing up for... club activities. The joys of American high school, I suppose. Let's see about that."

"You sound and look like a grumpy grandpa", teased Percy. "What did you sign up for?"

"Soccer, book club and arts", replied Nico slowly.

"Books, huh?", mumbled Percy and wiggled his nose. "Please don't babble as much about Russian literature as Annabeth. Please? Sometimes, she also talks about German literature and men that turn into cockroaches and she tends to give me a headache then."

Nico laughed amused and shook his head. He stared adoringly at Percy's sheepish look. No, he needed to stop feeling drawn to the cute son of Poseidon. There was only heartbreak down that road and he had come here to find happiness and freedom for himself.

/break\

Jason was gritting his teeth, eyes narrowed as he watched his boyfriend and Nico di Angelo walking around the school grounds, laughing and standing decidedly too close. Jake and Frank exchanged a look as they also took a break from training. Their captain's attention was completely on his boyfriend, as it always was whenever Percy was near the football field. Though this time, it was not the normal pleased, boisterous kind. The Stolls were faster than them however, Connor hooking his arm around Jason's neck from the right and Travis doing so from the left.

"You're jealous of the new kid", teased Connor with a snicker.

"Aw, do you think your precious little Sea Prince would cheat on you?", snorted Travis ridiculed.

"Percy would never cheat on me. I'm not petty enough to believe that. I know Percy loves me", growled Jason irritated, shrugging the two sons of Hermes off. "That doesn't mean I like the way that new guy is all over _my_ Percy. Just look where he has his hand!"

Connor, Travis, Frank and Jake all turned as one to look at Nico, who was ruffling Percy's hair while both of them were laughing at something. As one, the four guys turned to look at Jason.

"Your point being?", inquired Frank a little unimpressed.

"Percy's fluffy, ridiculously soft hair is mine to pat!", whined Jason pathetically.

"...Wow", whispered Jake stunned and shook his head.

Jason glowered and straightened his back. "How about you lazy asses all just run a couple of times around the academy instead of making fun of me? Until dinner would do, wouldn't it?"

The entire team groaned and turned to glare at the four who had teased Jason. The blonde decided that while his team did their run, he would go up to his boyfriend and casually remind Nico di Douchelo that Percy had a boyfriend. Percy was gesturing wildly the moment Jason caught up with them and wrapped his arms around Percy's waist and pulling him up to Jason's chest. Percy yelped for a moment before craning his neck enough to smile at Jason and kiss him.

"Huh. Hello there. Shouldn't you be over there and get all sweaty?", grinned Percy teasingly.

"Gotta have a spare second to kiss my Sea Prince", countered Jason, stealing another kiss. "What are you up to, my gorgeous? Weren't you on a meeting with your team?"

"Meeting ended and Nico signed up to clubs, so I figured I'd give him a brief summary of club history", answered Percy contently, snuggling up to Jason. "He joined arts too."

"...He did?", grunted Jason nonplussed, looking at Nico with a glare.

"I did. I'm a very artistic soul", countered Nico with a smirk. "And I think your team wants you back. So you should probably hurry back to them and leave Percy to me. He's in good hands."

"I bet he is", muttered Jason beneath his breath.

"You're so cute when you're jealous", smiled Percy sweetly, batting his eyelashes at Jason before elbowing him lightly. "Go back to training. You'd never forgive yourself if Magnus beat you again."

"They did not win yesterday", hissed Jason embarrassed.

"Yeah. But neither did you", chimed Percy teasingly, pecking Jason's lips.

Sighing softly, Jason pulled Percy into a soft, loving kiss, leaving Percy a bit dazzled as they parted. "I love you, babe. I'll pick you up when your training ends, we grab dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan", hummed Percy pleased, looking up at Jason adoringly.

Frankly enough, Nico felt a little sick at the cuteness.

/break\

Sunday was exhausting and exciting at the same time, since it was the first soccer training Nico participated in. Reyna was a force of nature and Alabaster was a wicked warlock. Soccer was still as much fun as it had been in the forties. Just kicking a ball, with his friends, laughing.

What he was unaware of was that he was being watched. Percy, who had gone to the stables to tend to the pegasi for a while, had just returned back toward the main building and happened to pass the soccer field. And saw Nico di Angelo, in shorts, kicking Cecil's butt in soccer. What a sight.

"Here to enjoy the view, Jackson?", teased Will as he sat down next to Percy knowingly. "He looks good in those shorts. Damn him. My legs are all cheesy white and an embarrassment when I put on shorts and he just looks like some kind of underwear model off the magazines under my bed..."

Percy sputtered and raised both eyebrows. "Does Jake know about those magazines, eh?"

"Avoiding the question", chimed Will knowingly. "Hey, just because you're in a relationship doesn't mean you're forbidden from looking, you know? I know Jason is a bit more possessive than others, but still. You didn't turn _blind_ by committing to a relationship."

"...Yeah, he's very good looking", admitted Percy softly and blushed. "But in like a totally different way than Jason, you know what I mean? They're... They're like the sun and the moon."

"Ah. And you're the sea stuck between them, mh?", grinned Will and nudged him. "Can't help but bask in the warmth of the sun, yet the moon is also pulling your tides."

"Ew. Stop being so poetic, it's weird", grunted Percy and wiggled his nose.

"Can't help it. Son of Apollo", chuckled Will, wrapping one arm around Percy's shoulders.

"At least you're not sprouting haikus like your dad", snorted Percy amused.

/break\

That night, Jason couldn't quite find sleep. And for once, neither Leo's sleep talking nor Frank's snoring (or the sound of those two 'secretly' making out) was disturbing his sleep. The blonde was laying with his arms crossed behind his head, staring up at the ceiling where there was a poster of a shirtless Percy in swim-shorts. A promotion poster that Annabeth had made for the biggest swim competition last year. The other schools had done it too, but no one was worth hanging up. Not like that brightly smiling, beautiful Sea Prince. Jason frowned up at the picture of his boyfriend. Today, after hanging out with Thalia, Luke and forcibly also Octavian, Jason had spotted Percy on a hill and thought hey, what a nice surprise. He could lay in the sun with Percy for a while. Just to notice that Percy was talking about Nico di Angelo, who happened to be attending soccer training beneath the hill. Jason had frowned and glowered, listening in and inevitably watching. The worst part? Nico was actually attractive. He looked so carefree as he kicked the ball, a happy smile on his lips. So far, all Jason had seen had been a scowl. Then again, that was probably also the only expression Nico had ever seen on Jason's face since the two of them had met. And Jason hated Nico for being attractive, because yes, as jealous as Jason could get, he _knew_ he couldn't forbid Percy from looking. Besides, most of his jealousy was more so for the fun of it. Percy would make him jealous, Jason would punish Percy, then they'd have a lot of fun.

"Maybe you should try to get to know Nico."

Jason nearly had a heart-attack upon hearing Leo's voice. The Latino was laying in Frank's arms, turning to face Jason with a very large and way too knowing grin. So Jason did the logical thing, he glared at his best friend. Which, sadly enough, only made Leo grin broader.

"No idea why you're talking about _him_ ", muttered Jason defensively.

"Well, I've spend a lot of time with him in the past week since he came to Novus Olympus. Well, mainly because he _really_ enjoys glaring and creeping when Frank and I try to be alone with Hazel... it's like he got a radar for that... Anyway, I noticed that you're jealous of him. So, you can either hate him, which will totally lead to drama with Percy, because Percy is so befriending Nico, _or_ you could also try to befriend Nico and see the good in him. Crazy idea, eh?"

"Shut up and go to sleep, firebug", huffed Jason and threw a pillow at the Latino.

/break\

Monday started out a little differently than normal school days. Everyone was gathered outside, including the gods and of course the principals. Bianca stared surprised and tugged at the sleeves of Nico and Hazel on either side of her. Both of them grunted in stunned agreement. There, between Lupa and Chiron, stood no other than Iapetus the titan, in a janitor's uniform.

"Children, let me introduce our new janitor to you – this is Bob", declared Chiron loudly.

Nico bit his tongue to keep from laughing and his sisters felt the same. Words of advise and thanks were spoken, there was applause and everyone was dismissed. The three underworld children hurried up to the podium, reaching it just in time with Thalia and Percy, all five eagerly and innocently grinning up at Chiron, who looked a little bit suspicious. Tyson, hanging off his big brother's hand, looked curious what all the commotion was about.

"We'd be glad to show him around!", exclaimed Percy with a bright grin.

"...Very well", nodded Chiron, the suspicion only growing.

"Friends!", exclaimed Bob happily and hugged all five of them at once.

"Hello, Bob", chuckled Nico amused. "It's... good to see you out of the underworld."

"Yes, Lord Hades said he'd give me a job here", declared Bob with a grin.

Nico, Bianca and Hazel turned to look at their father, who was engaged in a conversation with Poseidon and Persephone. Percy smiled and took Bob's hand, pulling him along with the others following. Tyson, very eager to meet such a large and funny looking man, was eager to help and point out what was where on the campus. He and Bob instantly hit it off.

"And this would be the janitor's closet", declared Thalia in the end, opening the door.

"...That looks like a sex dungeon", pointed Bianca out, looking unimpressed.

Percy, with his entire face red, rushed into the closet and grabbed the large, fluffy blanket to throw everything – pillows, sex-toys, candles, lube – onto it and tie it together. "Uh. Yeah. Uhm..."

"...Your refugee with the boyfriend?", snorted Nico unimpressed and rolled his eyes.

Though if he was being honest, he was a little impressed that the boyfriend had gone through the trouble of building them a love-nest, all in different shades of blue and actually pretty romantic and not that much of a sex dungeon as Bianca had suggested. Maybe the boyfriend wasn't _as_ bad as Nico was thinking. Nico grinned when Bob and Tyson started asking confused questions.

/break\

Jason was practically running as he went to the indoor pool on Thursday evening. More like early night. His boyfriend once again failed to stop with the training. A scowl was etched onto his face as Jason made his way. Percy was so getting an ear full for this. He should know better.

"Percy, what are you still doing in here?"

The voice of Nico di Angelo made Jason stop dead in his tracks just as he reached the door. His frown turned even more annoyed as he saw the son of Hades standing at the pool where Percy was just turning for another lap. Percy resurfaced in all his beauty, dripping water pearls everywhere.

"Nico!", exclaimed Percy startled. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Will got back to our room three hours ago. But when I went to your room because I wanted to hang out with you, your roommates told me that you still haven't returned and then they told me this was a regular occurrence with you", stated Nico simply, eye eyebrow cocked. So... I'm here to drag you out of the pool, because Will also told me you were already in the middle of laps when the team joined you. Which also seems to be a regular thing with you. And it's unhealthy."

"Well, I'm the captain. I gotta set a good example", replied Percy in old routine.

Nico gave him an unimpressed expression that matched the one on Jason's face. Just as Percy dove back down into the dark depth of the water, Nico snapped his fingers. Percy yelped startled as he fell through the shadows in the corner of the wall and landed in Nico's arms.

"You say you want to be a good example, but is what you're doing really a good example?", countered Nico seriously and slowly put Percy down. "If you'd see _any_ member of your team working themselves to the bone and into utter exhaustion, what would you say to them?"

Percy looked ready to protest, opening his mouth, just to avert his eyes. "...I'd scold them. But it's totally different! I am the captain! The son of Poseidon!"

"And you're pushing yourself more than I ever did", hissed Nico with a glare. "And I was training for a _war_ , for revenge and survival! I don't know why you think those school competitions are worth ruining your health over, but you gotta stop. What about boyfriend, what's he got to say about this?"

Jason was short of growling and barging in, because he was not 'boyfriend', he had a name! But Percy's blush and sigh stopped him, making Jason's heart skip a beat. He frowned worried.

"He's the only one aside from my big brother who ever manages to drag me away from training", admitted Percy, blush darkening even more. "He usually bribes me with kisses and sex..."

"Sex?", snorted Nico and shook his head. "Great idea after you over-exhausted yourself for hours."

"Not _that_ kind of sex", mumbled Percy embarrassed. "The kind where I just... lay there and he spends like an hour massaging me and kissing me and... well, worshiping me. It's embarrassing."

Nico snorted amused and grabbed the discarded towel on the bench to lay it around Percy's shoulders. "Doesn't sound embarrassing. Sounds actually pretty sweet of him. Like something you deserve after everything you put yourself through."

"B—But I'm not... something to be worshiped", muttered Percy lowly, hiding in the towel.

"Who are _you_ to decide who or what someone else deems worthy of worship?", teased Nico. "If you're what he wants to worship, then you should accept his... religion. So, you go to the locker room and get changed now and then I'll bring you to Jason. It's time for his... service."

Both Percy and Nico laughed at that and eased a little, while Jason stared dumbly. What did this mean? He was used to those who admired Percy or were crushing on Percy to badmouth Jason behind his back. Tell Percy how he deserved so much better than a jealous, possessive jerk. And he did. Percy deserved so, so, so much better than Jason, which was why Jason was so jealous and possessive, because he couldn't bear the thought to lose Percy. Shaking the thought off, Jason hurried back to his room. After all, Nico had just said he wanted to bring Percy to him, so it'd be good if Nico and Percy didn't run into him outside the pool. Maybe Nico was alright after all. Not a jerk just after Percy's ass, but someone genuinely concerned for Percy. Not antagonizing Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will mostly focus on Jason's insecurities upon watching just how close Nico and Percy are growing. Also, counselor meetings, as ordered by Chiron! Which means Chariclo gets to put all the awkward teenage-romance pieces together and figure things out... way before the boys do ;)
> 
> Next update is gonna be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High" on Saturday next week! ^^


	9. The Rivalry of Underworld and Sky

_Chapter 9: The Rivalry of Underworld and Sky_

"You have been very closed off during our past couple of meetings", said Chariclo in her usual soft and soothing voice. "Would you like to share what's on your mind? Your timing strikes me as rather... peculiar. You started closing off practically right after your sister's quest brought the di Angelo siblings to Novus Olympus. We've made such good progress and I'm wondering..."

Jason squirmed on his seat, frowning as he stared over at their student counselor. Chariclo was the wife of Chiron and she was still doing what she had done for millennia. Sure, Chiron trained the heroes, but back in the old day said heroes had been dropped off at his and his wife's when they had been little babies. Chariclo had always taken care of the emotional aspect, raising them, nurturing them and taking care of the psychological aspects of being teens who risked their lives. That, she still did, as the school's counselor. And Jason had been seeing her ever since the beginning. His childhood had messed him up and even though he couldn't talk to Percy, or Thalia, or anyone about it, Lupa had, from the first month on, pushed him to go and see Chariclo because she had known something was wrong. Yet Lupa was a wolf and she was not the sweet nice kind who brought you cookies and talked about your problems with you, so she send him to see the Greek counselor. For the first months, he had blocked, but by now she was the one who knew most about him.

"Okay, then let me take a wild guess", offered Chariclo with an amused smile. "You feel... threatened by the di Angelos? Because they are children of the Big Three too. Ah, I seem to be somewhat on the right track, judging by the look you're giving me. Is it... because Thalia and Bianca have grown so close? Do you fear to lose your sister? I know how important she is to you, she is your pillar and your only family. And judging from my sessions with Bianca and Thalia since the quest, both have formed quite the tight bond. Is that it?"

Jason wiggled his nose before reluctantly shaking his head. "Thals has lots of friends. If I'd get upset about her friends, I'd start by getting upset about Castellan or Nightshade. Bianca is actually... she's not bad, I guess. She's clever and strong and Thals seems really fond of her."

"So, if Bianca is 'not bad', then Nico is the problem?", concluded Chariclo with a knowing smirk. "So, what is the problem with Nico? Do you feel threatened in your status as alpha male?"

"I'm not the alpha male around here", snorted Jason, arms crossed in front of his chest in a defensive manner. "Percy is. He's the strongest, the leader everyone is looking up to."

Chariclo smiled softly and nodded. She knew one of Jason's biggest problem was that he felt inferior to his own boyfriend. Not in a dark manner – Chariclo had seen her fair share of that, partners growing abusive because they felt inferior to their lovers – but in a manner that put Jason himself in a bad spot. He thought he didn't deserve Percy, that Percy was some golden piece of perfection put on a shrine and that Jason could never live up to that.

"Nico and Percy seem very close", mused Chariclo offhandedly, watching how Jason stiffened. "They both talk highly about each other. To Nico, Percy is one of the few he seems to truly trust around here, one of those who help him most getting settled in this new environment. And I think that helping Nico is actually helping Percy very much. He has been very imbalanced, as you may have noticed. Nico is a good distraction from overworking himself."

"Yeah, a better distraction than I am", whispered Jason beneath his breath, staring at his knees.

"Ah", nodded Chariclo, twirling her pen in her hand. "So that's the problem, mh? You're afraid Nico will take Percy away from you. That he'll replace you in your relationship."

"Well, he's doing a mighty good job replacing me everywhere else", spat Jason angered, nails digging into his arms. "The other day, he kicked my ass during training. Even got praised by Lupa! _Lupa_! And Percy high-fived him before taking care of me. The other day, he was even at the stables and... Blackjack _likes_ him. Percy said so. Blackjack doesn't like anyone! And Tyson is totally amazed by the whole summoning zombie crap like it's the greatest trick ever. Fuck this."

Chariclo's eyes softened even more. "Jason, honey, Percy loves you with all of his heart. He would never just dump you, but this... is dragging you down. It's affecting you and you should talk to Percy about this. He'd listen and he'd tell you that he loves you."

Jason shut down again, glaring at a point on the wall above Chariclo's head.

/break\

"Yo, Percy. We're heading out now. Nico invited us to get pizza", called Will out.

He still had his towel around his shoulders, with Mike peeking over his shoulder. They had gotten showered and refreshed after training and were about to head out, with Lou already waiting outside. Rest of the team had already scattered over half an hour ago. Mike looked over at his roommate.

"Listen up, I'm only gonna be at the dorm for about an hour or two, meeting Silena and Gwen to go out to town together, so... you got your key to get in?", questioned Mike.

Percy emerged from the water and turned to stare at them doe-eyed. "No problem, Mike. I got my key. And Will, hold up. I'll just hit the shower and then I'll join you, yeah?"

Mike and Will exchanged a doubtful look before turning to Percy. "You'll... join me? You sure about that? Training ended only like an hour ago officially. I don't think you ever left that early before."

"Nico makes a mean pizza. I'm not gonna miss that", huffed Percy and climbed out of the pool.

Will smiled in a kind and knowing way as he watched Percy go and hit the shower. Somehow, Nico really was working his magic on Percy and he doubted Nico was even aware of it. Within ten minutes, Percy actually did join Will and Lou outside the gym. Lou raised one suspicious and surprised eyebrow, staring at Will who just shrugged with a grin before laying one arm around Percy's shoulders and sheering him toward Nico's dorm. Once inside, the others were already gathered. Nico, Cecil and Malcolm, obviously since it was their dorm. Malcolm was sitting with Katie on his bed, leaning against the headboard while Jake sat opposite them, smiling at Will and beckoning him over to them. Cecil sat at the living room table with Miranda, Frank and Leo, playing poker by the looks of it. And Nico was with Hazel, standing in the small kitchenette each dorm-room had and making what looked like enough pizza to feed an army.

"Where are the girls?", asked Percy confused as he surveyed the room.

"Right here, jackass", grunted Lou as she sat down next to Miranda, draping one arm around her girlfriend/roommate and pulling her into a kiss. "Hey, 'Randa. How was your day?"

Rolling his eyes, Percy dumped his sports-bag on the floor next to the couch. "Not you two, or Haze. The _other_ girls. Isn't the lesbian-to-guy ratio normally like 2 to 1?"

There was a pause, a stretch of silence used to gape at Percy, causing him to shrug while Nico chuckled. "First of all, not all huntresses are lesbians. Or so they say. But Bianca said it's getting too cramped in here with my friends and her friends, so she decided to throw a pizza party at her dorm. She did however take custody of the lesbians. Reyna, Annabeth and Piper seem to prefer to hang out with Bianca. And so does Thalia, though I'm not sure about her sexual orientation."

"Strictly speaking is Reyna bisexual and Thalia is straight. Used to be in love with Luke", pointed Katie out. "She joined the archery slash celibacy club because Luke prefers to get it up the ass from Octavian. What? Don't look at me like that. I enjoy making relationship charts and sometimes, it is _hard_ to keep up with this bunch of horny demigods here. Not to mention that barely any are purely straight or purely gay. We _are_ the kids of the gods, you do remember their messed up sex-life, yes? It's a blessing no one is in a romantic relationship with one of the pegasi."

"...Why are you looking at me, Gardner?", asked Percy suspiciously.

"Well, you _can_ talk to them", shrugged Miranda now teasingly. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Percy froze up like a deer in the headlines, looking around a little unsure now. "I thought... I mean, I can... go again? Sorry for inviting myself, I guess?"

"Oh, Hades no, you're staying", ordered Nico, pointing his spoon at Percy. "What Miranda means is that you usually _never_ hang out after training. Because you train after training."

Percy visibly relaxed a bit and sat down between Frank and Leo. "Well, I heard pizza?"

"That's wonderful!", declared Hazel happily. "But you could have brought Jason. He could have brought Jason, right Nico? I'm sure Jason would love some pizza too. He always liked Italian."

"He does", agreed Percy and wiggled his nose. "But he's not on campus. He's out with some of the guys, catching a movie. He's with Dakota and Leila, watching that new... Bond? Mission Impossible? Bourne stuff? Honestly, no idea. There are like a gazillion of each of them and I couldn't care less about spy movies. Which is kind of why I didn't tag along. But it's okay. We don't need to sit on each other 24/7 to know we love each other. Besides, he agreed to take me and Ty go see the the new Disney movie next weekend. Tyson is so excited about it, it's adorable."

"I think it's cute that your boyfriend has no problem taking your baby brother on dates with you", stated Nico, sounding honestly happy for Percy. "Though bring him along next time, yeah?"

Honestly, Nico had no clue why he just said what he said. He hated Jason for having Percy, but he respected Jason for treating Percy right. And perhaps the tiniest part of him wanted to get to know Jason better, because Hazel spoke highly of him, Percy loved him and Nico had seen that Jason was a good and strong fighter (and handsome, but that was so not the point right now).

"Will do", replied Percy and the genuine smile on Percy's lips was worth the foot-in-mouth situation. "So, what's up aside from pizza, which looks delicious by the way?"

"Thanks", grinned Nico pleased. "Well, we're gonna watch a movie while eating – vote's still out on what we're going to watch – and then there's gonna be poker. You game?"

"What are we playing for?", asked Percy intrigued, earning a look from Nico. "What? I've been here for a couple years. I played poker with Luke and the Stolls all the time."

"Well, I was all in for strip-poker, but Hazel insists that she will not play strip-poker with her brother", sighed Lou and rolled her eyes. "So, I guess, we're back to chocolate bars."

"That sounds fine by me", shrugged Percy with a confident grin.

/break\

Bob was a great janitor and he was weirdly awesome to hang out with, but since now the janitor's closet was taken by said janitor, Percy and Jason lost a lot of their together-time. It was already hard enough to find much time considering they were in different grades so their schedules didn't quite match up, added on were their extracurricular activities. But even then, they had at least had the privacy of the closet to sneak some stolen minutes in. Now, things got a bit more complicated.

"So, how was the movie last night?", asked Percy softly, snuggled up to Jason.

The most privacy now was when Jason's roommates Leo and Frank were out on a date with Hazel. Like right now. Jason and Percy laid curled together on Jason's bed, both naked. Not for the sake of fucking, but just to be close. And maybe grope each other some. It was probably going to end up in either oral, or in jerking each other off though. Percy grinned as he rubbed his cheek against Jason's chest, drawing the sheets in some closer around them both before letting his hand wander.

"It was awesome. But as much as I love Dakota and Leila, doing something with only the three of us sucks because they suck. Each other's faces, all the time", grunted Jason and rolled his eyes. "It's awful watching a couple be all cute while you're on your own."

"Poor babe", hummed Percy with a teasing grin, biting Jason's collarbone. "Next time, I'll be there to help you survive the pain and suffering. But I'm glad the movie was good. I watched _Iron Man_ with Nico and the others. Leo wanted to watch it and his puppy eyes had Frank, Hazel and Jake convinced in a second. They outvoted everyone else. Go figure."

"Nico, huh?", echoed Jason, face turning just a little darker. "And... you had fun?"

"Yeah, totally", declared Percy with a bright smile. "It was a lot of fun. I kinda regret that I never hung out with the others much before Nico joined, you know? They're awesome."

"Yeah, I bet as awesome as Nico", muttered Jason, running a hand down Percy's spine.

Percy shuddered at the touch before leaning up for a kiss. "Come on. Don't be grumpy."

The son of Poseidon easily flipped them over and came to hover above Jason, smiling down at his boyfriend. Jason marveled at how gorgeous Percy looked with the sun hitting him in that angle, eyes sparkling, lips still slightly swollen from the excessive kissing they had done when entering the room, cheeks a little flushed from said making out, hair all messy and ruffled.

"You're so gorgeous", whispered Jason in total awe, reaching out to caress Percy's cheek.

"Shut up", huffed Percy embarrassed, cheeks turning an even darker red. "Idiot."

"Gorgeous and beautiful and mesmerizing", continued Jason stubbornly, rolling them over again so he was leaning over Percy and could kiss a trail down Percy's torso. "So... amazing. Perfect."

"I told you I don't like it when you talk like that", groaned Percy, hiding his face.

"And I told you that you're perfect and beautiful and someone has to tell you that", countered Jason.

Percy's eyes softened as he smiled down at the mop of golden-blonde hair making its way down Percy's body. When Jason said stuff like that, Percy was so close to believing it. Jason said it with so much conviction, as though it was true. Percy knew better, of course. Yes, he was aware that he was good looking – well-trained, perfect teeth, bright eyes. The scars from years of abuse were what made him imperfect, the scars Jason knew about. To an outsider, her may look beautiful, but stripped bar like right now, Percy was _not_ beautiful. He was broken and tainted, so regardless of how often Jason said it, Percy knew that wasn't true. But that Jason seemed to believe it made it so incredible. That Jason thought it was true made Percy's heart beat faster.

"I love you, idiot", whispered Percy fondly, playing with Jason's hair.

"I love you too, beauty", countered Jason, grinning against Percy's sixpack.

/break\

"So, you have settled in well, Nico?", inquired Chariclo, looking at her notes.

"Yeah. It's... good", replied Nico, eyes wandering.

He had to visit the student counselor once a week for a month to make sure he was settling in well. Honestly, he could really do without that, considering he couldn't really tell her anything. He couldn't talk about his past home, because it'd involve talking about the 30s and dying, which was supposed to stay a secret. He couldn't even talk about the quest and how he got here since he was brought from Hades. The underworld was also a no-no. Chariclo hummed curiously.

"You were talking very animatedly about Cecil, Lou, Will and Percy in particular. Would you care to share some more? Are you still getting along well?", asked Chariclo softly.

"Yeah. Will, Cecil and Lou are great. They introduced me to their friends and I'm getting along great with those too", replied Nico more enthusiastically, glad for a topic he could actually talk about. "Will, he introduced me to his best friend Malcolm and the son of Athena is a great help in catching up on all subjects. He's also very patient. And his girlfriend Katie is a pearl."

"That's very good to hear", smiled Chariclo pleased, pushing her glasses up some. "And... how are you dealing with your sisters? Last I saw Bianca, she mentioned she hasn't spend much time with you lately. And Hazel had mentioned a certain... concern about how you and Bianca would handle her having two boyfriends. She mentioned you were raised more... conservatively."

"I'm gay", stated Nico as a means of reply. "We may have been raised more conservatively, but the upbringing only plays a part in forming a person. I, for my part, am just in awe of my new surroundings and how accepting they are of... unconventional. I _am_ a bit weary, but I would also be weary about one boyfriend. Hazel is my baby sister, regardless of the fact that we don't share a mother, I still see her as as much of a sister as Bianca. I am just concerned about her, like a big brother would, I guess. I like Frank, he introduced me to this card-game, Mythomagic. It's a lot of fun. I'm not too fond of the hyperactive one, but he makes Hazel smile in the most ridiculous ways... so I guess I can live with him too. Hazel's happiness is the most important thing."

"And Bianca?", inquired Chariclo, smiling to herself.

"She's been keeping herself busy with archery club and the cheerleaders. Most we see of each other is during book club, to be honest", shrugged Nico with a frown. "She made a ton of friends. So did I. But they're different... groups of people. And I have arts club and soccer to occupy me."

"Yes, but how do you _feel_ about this?", asked Chariclo curiously. "As far as you were willing to share about your past, you and Bianca always relied on each other, right?"

"We were always sitting on each other", sighed Nico a bit disturbed. "There wasn't much privacy in the past... few years. For now, it's a very nice... change of things. It's good to have my own life, separate from Bianca. Besides, it's not like she's gone. I can still go to her whenever I want to."

/break\

Nico was sitting in class, on a group table with Cecil, Lou, Miranda, Malcolm and Hazel. They were trying to fight their way through history class, which was more awkward than Nico had ever expected. But that was what happened when your godly father taught a class. It was so weird seeing Hades, being taught by Hades. Being treated like just another one of the demigods.

"You look worried, Haze", whispered Nico into Hazel's ear, grasping his sister's hand.

Her eyes were fixed on the back of Hades' head as the Death God stood and wrote something onto the board. "Y—Yeah. It's just... It's still weird. I feel like I personally betrayed his trust. Which I kind of did. I feel so... guilty. But I wouldn't... wouldn't change a thing."

"And I'm grateful for you about that", replied Nico, kissing her cheek.

"Being my children does not excuse you for not listening", called Hades out, loud and annoyed.

"Yes, father. Sorry", grunted Nico and straightened up, looking at the god awkwardly.

There was something in Hades' eyes as he returned the gaze. It was pain and guilt and also fondness. It was very confusing. Nico and Hades had shared a few awkward conversations. Mainly smalltalk about school, one going a little more into detail as to how Nico and Bianca were coping. Hades seemed relieved that they were adjusting well and he had warned them about how important it was to keep their past a secret. Hades seemed truly afraid for their safety and that was somehow a very reassuring thing to know for Nico, even though he didn't really know what to do with that.

/break\

Drew Tanaka was a very despicable person. It was a thing most at Novus Olympus agreed on. She had been heavily hitting on Jason and flirting with him. He was the son of Jupiter, his heritage was like a status-symbol. After he rejected her to instead get together with Percy, she became downright vicious. It got worse ever since she started dating Bryce Lawrence. They were a match made in Tartarus. And both had a special kind of hatred for Jason. Drew because he had 'humiliated' her by rejecting her – something that was the most outrageous insult imaginable for a child of Aphrodite/Venus. And Bryce? The son of Orcus hated Jason for being the son of Jupiter, son of the king. For being so powerful and strong and admired by others. Jason was also a council member and the quarterback and captain of the football team. Bryce was obsessed with power and Jason was, even though he wasn't looking for it, in multiple positions of power.

"Hey man, how are you holding up?", asked Frank after football training. "Don't listen to Bryce, you know he loves talking shit about you. You're a good leader. We'll win the next game."

Bryce had given him a hard time throughout training about how they were going to lose against the Egyptians on their next game with the game plan Jason had cooked up and how his leadership wasn't good enough for this and how the Egyptians were superior to them the way their team was at the moment. Like those weren't thoughts swirling around in Jason's mind all the time anyway. He had to live up to so many expectations. The pressure of not just the team but the _entire school_ wanting victory. He also had to partake in the student council meetings and be a role model. He had to be there for his friends and of course for his Percy. Percy needed him, needed the emotional support, because Percy too was under so much pressure – Jason had to be the one person Percy could lean on. He just had to. But sometimes it just became too much and Jason wasn't sure if he could do it much longer. He felt like crumbling under the pressure.

"I'm heading out. Date night and you know how Clarisse can be", announced Chris, interrupting Jason's train of thought and patting him roughly on the back. "Listen to Frank, man."

Jason grunted and gathered his own belongings before heading out. Outside the gym, he saw the cheerleading squad just in the middle of wrapping things up. Bryce had gone over and Drew was fawning over her 'amazing, strong bae'. Jason suppressed the urge to gag, instead looking at the captain of the cheerleading squad – Silena Beauregard – who was chatting animatedly with her mother and coach, the goddess Aphrodite. Piper was talking to Hazel and Bianca.

"Look at my girlfriend, isn't she gorgeous?", asked Reyna with a smirk.

Jason startled a little as his best friend suddenly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered him toward the trio. Casting a glance at Reyna, he noticed that she must have sprinted over right after training, because she was still wearing the shorts and jersey of the soccer team.

"She's alright for a girl", countered Nico teasingly from Reyna's other side. "Ouch."

"You earned that one", grunted Reyna with a fierce glare, elbowing Nico again for good measure.

Jason made a face. Nico had joined the soccer team and he got along so well with the team and he was apparently so talented. Was there _anything_ he was bad at? Anything he couldn't do?

"You look so weird in that pink skirt", declared Nico as the trio reached the cheerleaders.

Bianca glared halfhearted at Nico while Reyna went to kiss Piper. The native American girl made a face and pushed Reyna off again, glaring pointedly at the sweat-soaked jersey.

"You could have showered first", pointed the daughter of Aphrodite out.

"I thought we could shower together", suggested Reyna with a smirk. "Annabeth is in the library and Rachel went out for coffee with Octavian, so I'd have the whole room to myself..."

"You drive a hard bargain, Rey", grinned Piper and pecked her girlfriend's lips.

"You two are such a cute couple", declared Bianca with a grin.

/break\

"You're late, Percy", chided Chariclo as she looked up from her papers.

Percy looked up and offered her his most charming apologetic smile possible. "Sorry. You know how it is... Football training, soccer training... It's hard not to watch."

"Ah yes, being young", laughed Chariclo amused. "I do remember how much I enjoyed watching Chiron spar and train when he was a young centaur, when they were all... young. Young strong muscular men. Mh, the sight. Though I don't remember you ever watching the soccer team."

Percy's eyes were wide and his cheeks dark red. Chariclo raised a curious eyebrow at that. The dynamic between the sons of the Big Three was a curious one indeed. Nico had tried to avoid talking about either of them, willing to talk about anyone else though. Jason expressed great love for Percy and just as much jealousy of Nico for apparently being too close to Percy, while Percy talked rather animatedly about his new friend Nico and seemed to appreciate his physique.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have a physical confrontation between Jason and Nico during a training session! Now that's gonna be a steamy show for Percy ;) Also, Nico/Percy bonding and toooons of guilt! ^o^
> 
>  
> 
> Next update is gonna be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High" on Saturday!


	10. Arts and Clashes

_Chapter 10: Arts and Clashes_

Percy sat with his legs spread out before him, leaning back on his hands. He had his shirt in his lap, because he was all sweaty and sticky. Bianca sat next to him, braiding her hair because the thick mane was heavy with sweat and a bit messy after their sparring session. Hazel and Thalia were only going through the motions at this point, Thalia correcting and commending on how Hazel could have done better during their match. The only ones still harshly going at it were Jason and Nico. Percy was sitting to face them, watching them with wide eyes and red cheeks. Not red because of the sparring he had done, but because this was the hottest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. About twenty minutes ago, both Jason and Nico had shed their shirts – because they were singed anyway from lightning striking them. Lightning and darkness. Sky and underworld. Bright-blonde and pitch-black hair. Sun-kissed skin and pale skin. They were literally two opposites and it could not be hotter to watch them. So Percy had been watching the soccer training the past few weeks since Nico joined, but seeing Nico getting this worked up with Jason, that was insane. Percy knew his desires for Nico were wrong – so, so wrong – but it wasn't like he planned on acting on them, ever. So appreciating the sight was totally not a problem, right?

"You're cute", commented Bianca fondly. "The way you drool over your boyfriend still, like a school girl with a major crush, even though he's already yours."

Percy blushed and decided to not comment, because it probably wouldn't look good to admit to Nico's big sister that part of his drooling came from the display of Nico. While Percy was busy drooling, Nico was busy blowing off a lot of steam. It felt so good every time he landed a hit on Jason, but he also relished in every hit Jason landed. He had never had such an intense training match. Sure, he had enjoyed his match with Percy, but that had been more like a dance. This however was a match of raw power and they weren't afraid to actually hurt each other. Nico dodged another lightning strike, pressing his palm against the ground and raising the shadows like tentacles to stop Jason from flying off again. Nico wanted to crush Jason. He wanted to hurt Jason. He wanted to _hate_ Jason. The problem was that he couldn't. He couldn't hate Jason, even though he wanted, even though Jason was _everything_ he should hate – the pretty golden boy, the son of Jupiter, he got to date cute Percy, he was beloved by everyone. And sure, at first Nico had hated Jason. It was easy to hate a son of Jupiter, after all. But at the same time, he was falling for Percy. And regardless of how much he despised Jason, he wouldn't want to be the kind of person to push between a happy couple. So Nico tried to stop falling for Percy and instead to just be Percy's friend. For that, Nico asked about the boyfriend at all times, he tried to remind himself of the fact that Percy in fact had a boyfriend, that Percy was taken. Needless to say, it didn't help a bit. It had the opposite effect, actually. It only made Nico actually fall in love with Percy, because he wanted to be the one Percy talked about with that sparkle in his eyes and that slight blush on his cheeks. He wanted to help Jason out with Percy, to also be there for those dates and hold Percy during a scary movie and all those silly things. But on top of all of that, it made Nico fall in love with Jason too.

He didn't even understand _how_. He should hate Jason, for all reasons mentioned before and on top of all of that because Jason treated him like he was scum for hanging out with Percy all the time. But Percy told all those stories. How cute Jason was when he slept, how hard he worked for his team, how sweet he was with Percy's baby brother Tyson, how beautiful the dates were, how thoughtful Jason was, how kind Jason was, how dorky and considerate and loving Jason was. In short, Nico hadn't fallen in love with the Jason he interacted with, but instead he fell in love with Jason the boyfriend. The side of Jason Nico was never ever going to meet himself, because Jason hated him. And that was the steam he had to blow off, because he hated that he couldn't hate Jason and he hated that Jason hated him and he hated this entire situation, really.

"Okay. That's enough, before you two destroy the entire gym", interrupted Lupa sternly.

Jason just collapsed on the ground, all sweaty, sticky, bloody and exhausted. He had never fought an opponent like Nico before. He turned his head enough to look at Nico, who was laying next to him. A glare was etched into Jason's features. He wasn't supposed to be having that much _fun_ with a guy he should hate. Should hate for hogging Percy all the time, for being so 'easy to talk to' for Percy, for being so close to stealing Percy away from Jason. Because Nico was clever, witty, had that dry sarcastic humor, he had the leadership as he displayed with the soccer team, he had the _power_ and strength and he had the body. Damn it, that body. Jason gritted his teeth as he involuntarily watched how the sweat ran down that toned torso, making Jason gulp. Why did he feel attracted to the jerk?!

"Good training session. Everyone, go and get showered and changed", suggested Chiron.

Percy grinned and crawled over to Jason to lean over his boyfriend and kiss him. "Wanna share a shower with me, Jay? Because I'm all sticky and gross and so are you, so..."

"Let's get sticky and gross together?", concluded Jason fondly, wrapping his arms around Percy and pulling him down to straddle Jason's waist. "That sounds like a fantastic plan. In like ten minutes. I'm beat. I can't even feel my legs, even though there's a hot cutie on top of them..."

Percy giggled as he hid his face in Jason's chest. "You're an idiot. But okay. Let's do ten minutes of gross cuddling before showering and then... mh... how about my room, movie and pizza?"

"Movie and pizza sound great", called Nico out from a meter away from them.

Percy snorted fondly and turned to look at him. "Sure. You wanna come too?"

"What's that about a movie night with pizza?", asked Hazel eagerly as she passed them.

"I'm in. You in too, Bia? I'll give Luke and Octavian a call to come too", agreed Thalia eagerly.

"I'll tell Annie, Reyna and Piper", nodded Bianca with a spring in her steps.

"Annie, huh?", echoed Thalia teasingly as the girls headed out.

"...That was so not the plan", snorted Percy as he got more comfortable on top of Jason.

"Sorry about that", frowned Nico worried. "That wasn't my intention, I swear."

Jason glared, because not only had Nico just ruined Jason's alone time with Percy, he also had a cute guilty puppy look. Urgh. Jason did not need to spend more time with Nico, he didn't need to get to know the guy better. It was bad enough that he could feel a certain physical attraction toward the Italian, but he didn't need to risk for that to grow into something more.

/break\

Somehow, more people came than originally suggested. Hazel, Frank and Leo were cramped onto one couch, Octavian, Luke, Ethan and Alabaster were on Alabaster's bed, Thalia, Bianca and Annabeth on the other couch, Rachel, Piper and Reyna had hijacked Mike's bed and somehow, Nico had ended up on Percy's bed with Percy and Jason. All three boys looked awkward about this.

"You three are ridiculous", commented Luke amused from where he was sprawled out over Octavian and Ethan. "You gotta use the space you have best. Stop acting all uncomfortable."

Ethan grunted in agreement where he was being used as a pillow by both his best friend Luke and his boyfriend Alabaster. Percy blushed embarrassed and tried to settle more where he laid between Jason and Nico. Reluctantly, Nico laid an arm around Percy's and also Jason's shoulders. The shift was slow, in a snail's pace really, but over the course of _Now You See Me_ , Jason, Percy and Nico adjusted and were practically cuddled up at the end of the movie. Jason was spooning Percy, who was facing Nico and due to limited space, using Nico's chest as a pillow. Due to the excessive training, both Nico and Jason were deep asleep, only Percy in the middle was still awake and he was enjoying the moment with a racing heart, because he was laying up against Nico _and_ had Jason pressed against him from behind. He liked the way both of them felt together.

"Aw, look at the boys, aren't they adorable?", cooed Hazel with a teasing voice.

"I don't even want to _know_ ", snorted Thalia and rolled her eyes.

"I'd like it if there was another threesome around", pointed Leo out with a grin. "And they're cute."

"I can hear you", pointed Percy out, voice muffled by Nico's chest.

"Don't listen to the voices in your head, sweetheart", cooed Piper teasingly.

"Unless they're telling you to get into a hot, steamy threesome", chimed Leo mischievously.

Percy groaned and blushed brightly, completely hiding his face in Nico's chest. Those were the bad thoughts. The ones he had for like two weeks now. After noticing Nico was good looking, Percy started to indulge in a few fantasies, in the middle of the night, all alone. Of being with his beloved, amazing boyfriend _and_ the hot Italian. Steamy, sticky, dirty, rough, hard threesome sex fantasies.

/break\

The steamy, sticky, dirty, rough, hard threesome sex fantasies were one thing, but sitting in art class with Nico and dorking out over their collaboration of a _Captain America: Winter Soldier_ cover-art was something entirely different. It made Percy feel connected to Nico on an emotional level.

"You two are a mess", snorted Rachel as she looked them up and down.

Percy and Nico looked up from where they were crawling over the floor to work on their oversized painting, Percy with a smear of red color over his cheek and Nico with various blue specks all over. They had probably painted on each other as much as they had done with the paper.

"We're making art here! You can't make art without a mess", argued Percy with a frown.

"He's completely right", agreed Nico with a sharp nod, working on the darker colors.

Rachel snorted and rolled her eyes before returning to her own painting. Percy watched Nico from the corner of his eyes, seeing the slight tremble in Nico's hand as he worked on Bucky's face. Bucky's face that looked decidedly too much like Nico's own at this point.

"Hey. You alright?", whispered Percy very softly.

"...Sometimes I feel like Bucky", admitted Nico, barely audible. "Not the Winter Soldier, but... The war. Dying, or well, something like that. Watching all those decades pass without really being able to participate in them. Waking up in... this time. All alone. With all the... flashbacks."

Percy's face softened as he grasped Nico's shoulder and squeezed slightly. "If you... ever wanna talk about it, I'll listen. I can't picture what it must have been like... during the war... But I'll listen."

Nico looked up and locked eyes with Percy. He was thrown off by how honest and compassionate those sea-green depths were. With Percy, he somehow really felt understood. And that was a problem. He needed to stop feeling safe and happy around Percy, because that was only going to lead to a major heartache on the long run. Nico was so going to get his heart broken.

/break\

Unlike Nico, his big sister seemed to have fallen in love with the right person in the past month of living here in Novus Olympus Academy. Nico grinned to himself as he watched Bianca. Bianca was leaning over a book, together with Annabeth, both engaged in a heated discussion. A smile was on Bianca's face as she leaned in to push Annabeth's golden-blonde hair behind his ear again. The two had gravitated closer and closer ever since the di Angelos had come here.

"...Would you mind at least pretending to pay attention to our book report?", asked Malcolm.

Nico grinned as he turned to his blonde friend. "Sorry. Got a bit distracted. What was it?"

For the rest of book club, Nico did actually focus on his book report project with Malcolm. He was already grateful enough he got partnered up with Malcolm for this. By the time book club came to an end, Nico trailed after his big sister with the biggest teasing grin possible on his lips.

"...Is there anything you want? Because I am on the way to archery club", sighed Bianca.

"Bianca and Annabeth sitting in a tree...", started Nico to sing in a childish voice.

"Oh gods, how did I deserve you as my little brother?", groaned Bianca annoyed.

"So, when's the wedding and will I be your best man?", continued Nico, not minding her.

"Will you please cease the noise?", requested Bianca pleadingly.

"Just wanna know when you're gonna ask her out on a date", shrugged Nico casually, arms behind his head. "I mean, you two are so obviously flirting with each other. You're both single. Why aren't you asking her out on at least a date then? Worst that can happen is she says no."

"Wrong", hummed Bianca, arms crossed behind her back. "The _worst_ that can happen is Thalia, Luke and Percy teaming up for a big sibling speech. But yes, there is also the possibility of her saying no. Of her liking boys. And, to be honest, I am quite... I'm confused by my desires for her? I've never felt drawn to another girl before. What... do I do about this? What if I do start dating her and it is only a temporary thing? Me liking girls, that is."

"What if you just don't over think everything for once?", suggested Nico softly. "We got a second chance to live. So _live_. If you want her, then tell her and kiss her and just try. Even if it fails and is a disaster, at least you gave it a try. Have some fun, sis. It won't kill you _again_."

Bianca snorted and rolled her eyes, though she had to admit that what he said made sense. She had already died. Her life had ended. This, all of it, was a second chance she hadn't expected. She really shouldn't waste this. The fates had send this blonde, voluptuous angel into her life. She should try.

/break\

Charles Beckendorf and Luke Castellan were high-fiving and whooping loudly as they made the final three-pointer to earn them tonight's victory. In his enthusiasm about yet another victory over the Celtics, Jason even hugged Nico. Nico hugged back, somehow enjoying the electrifying feeling of Jason's touch. As soon as Jason realized what he was doing, he bolted off and stared at Nico in mild mortification before being pulled into a bone-crushing hug from Butch on the other side.

"What? Did I miss something?", asked Percy confused as he came to take his spot between Nico and Jason. "Why is everyone cheering? I wasn't gone that long!"

"Long enough to miss the end of the game", teased Nico amused.

Percy had left because Tyson had called him and sobbed about a nightmare. So Percy had instantly left the basketball game and thus left Jason and Nico awkwardly sitting next to each other until now. Pouting adorably, Percy sat down between Jason and Nico again.

"Stop it with the pouting, Perce", chided Nico fondly. "You'll get spaghetti with bacon."

Nico and Bianca had promised to make spaghetti for the team when they won. Grinning, Nico got up and offered Percy and Jason each a hand. Jason glared at it but when Percy took it, he also allowed the son of Hades to pull him along. Nico only paused when they passed the field where the cheerleaders stood. Bianca and Hazel ran up to them and jumped Nico with ringing laughter. Jason's eyes softened a little as he watched the three underworld kids. It was kind of hard to hate Nico when he was being a cuddly loving brother to his sisters. Bianca smiled as she kissed Nico's cheeks.

"You, go ahead. Prepare everything for dinner, I'll be right behind you", declared Bianca.

She waved the boys off before turning to her teammates. Lacy and Kayla were hugging and cheering, while Silena had rushed over onto the field to kiss the captain of the basketball team. Bianca smiled fondly at them. They were the perfect couple – the captain of the basketball team and the captain of the cheerleading squad. The strong, muscular jock easily lifted his petite girlfriend up and whirled her around while she giggled delighted. Bianca sighed softly and turned toward Piper, who was chatting loudly with Reyna and Annabeth. Biting her lips, Bianca took a deep breath.

"Hey, uhm...", stated Bianca before taking another deep breath. "You guys are coming over for spaghetti too, right? We're meeting up, well, between my room and Nico's."

"Yeah, Leo and some others already left to put up tables and benches in the hall", nodded Piper.

"Right", nodded Bianca and turned to look straight at Annabeth. "Wanna go and get ice-cream after dinner? The boys can get so loud and boisterous after a victory..."

"Sure, what do you say, girls?", asked Annabeth and turned toward Reyna and Piper.

Reyna grinned amused, one arm wrapped around her girlfriend's shoulders as she slowly pushed Piper into the direction of the showers. "I don't think Bianca was inviting Pipes and me. And anyway, we gotta get this one out of the sweaty uniform before dinner, don't we?"

"We totally gotta do that", agreed Piper and started off toward the showers.

"W—What?", asked Annabeth a little lost, looking after her friends.

"Well... I was thinking...", started Bianca, cheeks dusted pink. "Perhaps... just you and me?"

"Like a... date?", concluded Annabeth unsure, looking Bianca in her tight, short cheerleading uniform up and down. "A date between you and me? Just... us?"

"If... you want to", nodded Bianca, slowly growing nervous. "I mean, we don't have to."

"No! I mean, I'd like to!", interrupted Annabeth hastily, cheeks pink. "Let's get ice-cream. Yes."

Bianca smiled brightly and nodded. Turned out her brother was right after all.

/break\

Meals made by the di Angelos were the most delicious things possible. Everyone was round and tired by the time they were done with the spaghetti. Nico smiled pleased as he started cleaning up. He noticed a distinctive lack of his sister and Annabeth, which made him smile even brighter. At least until he and some of the guys were carrying the extra tables and benches out of the dorms and to the basement. On their way up again, they got stopped by Zeus, of all gods.

"Beckendorf", grunted the god in the suit, zooming in on the son of Hephaestus. "Good game."

"Thank you, my lord", nodded Beckendorf with a proud grin.

The king of gods made a habit of praising the team captain of a victorious game, after all he more so than most others wanted victory over all other pantheons. While Beckendorf and the other guys started to head back, Nico stood frozen in his spot, staring at Zeus. Honestly, ever since entering this school, Nico had avoided Zeus like the plague. The king of gods didn't teach any classes, after all, so chances of running into him weren't as big as running into any other major god.

"You", growled Nico, hands balling fists.

"Do not talk to me like that", spat Zeus, back straight. "You are glad I did not smite you on the spot when my brother betrayed me and allowed you and your sister to come back to life."

"You have no right to talk like that to me", countered Nico, gritting his teeth. "You killed my mother. You killed my sister. You are the reason I went to war and died. You do not get to smite me. You broke the rules. You interfered with demigods, with _my_ family. I know the rules _never_ apply to you, you get to do whatever you want! The least you owe me is to just turn your head and ignore my existence, just like I'm trying to ignore your existence."

"What gives?", sneered Zeus haughtily. "Didn't you want to be the one to kill a god? Kill me?"

Nico gritted his teeth even harder at that. "I did. I wanted nothing more than to kill you. Maybe put my own father on your throne. But... my chances of dying while trying are higher than my chances of success and at this point, in this life, I don't want to die. So I'm going to avoid you, you are going to avoid me and my sisters and we just pretend the thirties never happened."

They glared at each other for another couple of moments before they parted without another word. It was true, all Nico had always wanted was his revenge. But then he had died and spend so many decades just existing without a purpose or a life. He got a second chance, a life with Bianca and with Hazel, he had the privilege of meeting Percy, Will, Cecil, Lou and everyone else. He didn't want to throw this life he had away again. It was his second chance and he wasn't going to waste it. As good as he felt about having this second life, he felt his throat tightening up at what had just happened. The god wasn't even sorry. He just didn't care about anything, about life. Nico felt like puking just thinking about it. No, he didn't want to be like that. He never wanted to be that arrogant, never wanted to value life that little. Something he had learned during the war. Life was precious. Even the life of a douchebag god like Zeus. But more than that, his own life, Bianca's life and Hazel's life. If Nico did something irrational, something stupid – like attacking Zeus – then his sisters would be to pay the price just as much as he would. That could never happen.

/break\

Percy was laying in the bathtub, nicely spread out and relaxing after all the food he had inhaled. He could eat a ton of Nico's spaghetti, really. Nico was the best cook Percy had ever met. Grinning a little, Percy turned the hot water on and let a rainbow form in the mist just as he threw a gold coin.

"Carter Kane", demanded Percy and wet his lips.

"Damn it, Jackson! Why do you always call when I'm in the shower?!", spat the startled Egyptian.

"Hey, Car", greeted Percy with a lazy grin. "I felt like calling my favorite Egyptian."

Carter frowned and grabbed a towel to cover himself. "You're awful. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to check in with you", grinned Percy teasingly. "Next week's the big game."

"We are so going to beat your asses", nodded Carter dismissively.

"I doubt it", chimed Percy. "Our soccer team gained a new member. Nico di Angelo."

"So what? I could still beat your team on my own", hummed Carter disinterested.

Soccer was the _only_ sport Carter had ever found interesting and he loved it. He was really good and he was proud of the trophies be brought home to Pyramid High. Percy knew how proud his Egyptian friend was of his achievements, so Percy was actually feeling a little bad for him.

"Not this time", disagreed Percy and shook his head. "Nico's real good and the team adjusted well to him. They're like one well-oiled machine. This time, we're gonna win."

"Dinner's on me if you guys win. So, you're gonna pay, like always", teased Carter.

Percy grinned happily. He loved Carter, on a purely platonic level. The two boys had hit it off after one of the games – honestly, Percy didn't even remember what game, what sport. At first they had butted heads, but since then they were inseparable. Sure, Percy didn't really understand how Egyptians worked, because they had magic and they shared their bodies with gods. At first, Percy had thought that was meant in a sexual way, which had embarrassed Carter to no end. Though all the blushing Carter did about it had led to the conclusion that maybe, Carter had a bit of a big crush on the god he hosted, Horus. Really weird stuff. Percy was glad their pantheon was on the demigod side of things, because sharing his body with a god sounded really uncomfortable.

"Your sister's gonna come too right?", asked Percy curiously. "Annabeth is really looking forward to seeing her again. It's been a while since you guys were over for a game."

"It hasn't been that long. Well, maybe", shrugged Carter thoughtful. "So, tell me more about that new guy. Nico was it? You seem impressed by the guy."

"He is impressive", replied Percy with the faintest blush. "He's really good looking and has this dry sarcastic wit and he's a son of Hades, real powerful and tricky."

"Someone has a crush", noticed Carter, raising one eyebrow. "So, how's Jason doing?"

Percy physically flinched at that. "I didn't... mean to develop a crush on Nico. It's not like I thought 'Hey, I have this gorgeous, perfect boyfriend, let's crush on that hot new guy'."

Carter hummed unimpressed. He had a feeling this was actually why Percy called, not the game.

"So, you're crushing on him", sighed Carter and shook his head. "But you're still with Jason."

"I'd never leave Jason", huffed Percy scandalized. "I love him. I can't screw this up. I can't."

"You won't, Perce", assured Carter softly, eyes tender. "He loves you too, you moron."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have the soccer game between Egyptians and Graeco-Romans! Nico Vs Carter! And Nico and Jason are going to do something very very stupid.
> 
> Next update is going to be "Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High" on Saturday!


	11. Final Kick-Off

_Chapter 11: Final Kick-Off_

"Hey, I'm Carter Kane, team captain. I hope we have a good game."

"Nico di Angelo, uh, I kinda just became captain, so... take it easy on me?", asked Nico with a sheepish grin as he shook the Egyptian's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh. _You_ 're Nico?", asked Carter intrigued, running his eyes over Nico slowly. "Nice."

"W—What?", asked Nico a little flustered.

"It's nice to meet you", stated Carter and rolled his eyes. "Percy mentioned you."

"He did?", asked Nico and perked up visibly.

"Yeah", chuckled Carter, amused by the reaction. "He warned me that with you on the team, me and my guys would have a harder time beating you. Which is hilarious, really."

"Oh yeah?", huffed Nico and narrowed his eyes. "Bring it on, Pyramid boy."

/break\

Percy was sitting in the bleachers with Jason, Thalia, Annabeth, Bianca and Carter's sister Sadie. Sadie and Annabeth were about as close friends as Percy and Carter, so the two were eagerly chatting away. Annabeth's face was beet red, because Sadie Kane was having the time of her life teasing Annabeth about her new relationship status. While Annabeth was beyond embarrassed by the teasing, Bianca seemed more than proud. Percy smiled softly to himself as he watched the Italian girl. Being out and proud, on a public date with another girl like this, it must feel amazing considering the time she came from. Not to mention that she seemed to _really_ like Annabeth and that Annabeth just like that introduced Bianca as her girlfriend was a big deal. It had taken the blonde about three days to confide in Percy and those closest to her.

"They're cute, aren't they?", whispered Percy, leaning up to kiss the underside of Jason's throat.

"Totally adorable", snorted Jason amused, arms tightly around Percy's waist.

"I think they're cute. Bianca is good for Annabeth", stated Thalia from Jason's other side. "Annie seems more... open. Happier. She's been smiling a lot these days."

"You and Carter gonna do your one on one bonding stuff later?", inquired Jason with a half-smile.

"After the party, yeah", nodded Percy with a soft smile. "Nico's been boasting about a big victory celebration and I am so not passing up on that. But after, Car and I wanted to go out for a ride."

"That's nice", chuckled Jason and kissed Percy's hair. "You're so cute, babe."

"O—Oh! The game's starting!", exclaimed Percy, hitting Jason's chest.

Jason grunted and frowned. Involuntarily, his eyes were drawn down to the players on the grass. Annoyingly enough, his eyes were practically glued to Nico and the way the Italian was moving. He was swift, firm, confident and damn it, those _legs_. Why did the annoying son of Hades have to look so damn handsome? During the half-time break, the Italian practically emptied a water bottle over his head, because the sun's heat was hard enough as it was, even more merciless on the players. With the water dripping down his body, Nico looked even hotter. And then he turned toward them and smirked, waving at them. Jason blushed, despite himself even though he knew exactly that Nico was either aiming it as his sister to gloat or at Percy, who he actually liked. Jason gritted his teeth as he realized there was a jab of jealousy at that. Of course Nico had nicely bonded with Percy, because Percy was amazing, beautiful, kind, sweet, lovable. That was why Jason was dating Percy, after all. He was dating Percy. Not Nico. This jealousy-thing was getting way too confusing, if he was being honest with himself. First he was jealous of Nico for spending so much time with Percy, now he was kind of jealous of both of them? Nico for spending so much time with Percy and Percy for befriending Nico like that and being liked by Nico. It was so damn confusing. Jason hated that he had started liking Nico. How come he had started _liking_ Nico?!

/break\

Percy was grinning amused as he laid curled together around Carter, patting the pouting Egyptian on the head while holding a plate of delicious tagliatelle under Carter's nose. The Egyptian sniffed intrigued and licked his lips, peeking up at Percy whose grin brightened.

"C'mon, Nico is an amazing cook", teased Percy amused.

"Nico is a bastard with way too cunning legs", countered Carter and started eating.

They were in the open field where benches and tables had been put up and more than just Bianca and Nico had provided food to celebrate their victory over the Egyptians – the first in over five years. Seeing as his poor Carter had lost, Percy was duty-bound to pamper him and shield him from his sister's teasing. Which meant he couldn't cuddle with Jason and get drunk kisses (there was beer, thanks to Luke, Connor and Travis), which were the best because Jason was an affectionate tipsy person and Percy loved it. He could also not properly celebrate with Nico, which he really wanted because the Italian looked like he was having the time of his life with Cecil, Lou and Will.

"Nico seems like a good guy", noted Carter around a mouth full of noodles. "And damn, he _is_ a great cook. And a good athlete and he seemed rather nice. Also, obviously good looking."

"No idea why you're pointing all that out", muttered Percy embarrassed.

"Because you _like_ him", chimed Carter with a teasing smirk. "C'mon. Admit it out loud."

"Shut up", huffed the son of Poseidon embarrassed, cheeks flushed.

"You're so cute", cooed Carter with an evil snicker and kissed Percy's cheek. "Idiot."

"No kissing, Kane!", called Jason out from the other side of the room.

"Jealous brat", snorted Thalia and rolled her eyes, hitting Jason's chest.

"You have no idea", muttered Jason below his breath and sank lower on his seat.

He was with Thalia, Bianca, Annabeth, Sadie, Luke and Octavian, as well as some of the others. It was a bit blurry, he should have probably stopped drinking about a beer ago. But he had reason to drink! He was jeopardizing his perfect relationship by having something like _feelings_ for Nico di freaking Angelo! Urgh. He didn't even understand _why_. Sure, he never had a training session quite like the ones he shared with Nico. And yes, Nico was beyond hot. He was also rather intelligent and clever. And the sarcasm and dark humor were rather amusing. Not to mention the hot bad boy look. Or the fact that Nico looked amazing when he was with Percy, which was more than disturbing. The two of them were incredibly adorable when they were geeking out together – Jason had walked in on them working on their art project together two days ago. Both on all four, crawling on the floor as they worked on a beautiful painted version of a _Captain America: Winter Soldier_ poster. So Jason had spent a couple moments staring shamelessly at their asses at first. Nico had a great ass, by the way. And then he had listened to them. They were so cute when fanboying like that. Percy was already utterly adorable when babbling on like that, but in combination with Nico who seemed to be in tune with Percy on that part? Damn, it was mind-blowing. That marked the moment Jason had realized he had actual real feelings for Nico, which was so mortifying. He wanted to get to know Nico better, wanted to just listen to Nico and Percy geek out together, wanted to _touch_ Nico, wanted to see Nico touch Percy. What had been a nightmare thought at first – Nico touching Jason's Percy – had become a hot fantasy, somehow. Percy whimpering and squirming under Nico's touch.

So now Jason was trying to drown out those thoughts and feelings. He needed to erase those feelings, because he already had Percy and loved Percy and Percy deserved Jason's undivided attention and love. But here Jason was, having feelings for someone else.

"Grace Junior, you're going to hand me that beer bottle now and you're going to take a little walk to clear your head", declared Luke in his scolding dad-voice, taking Jason's beer away.

The son of Jupiter glared over at Luke, but he could hardly fight the older demigod off, because Thalia sat next to Luke and she was also giving Jason a very pointed glare. Octavian snorted, as he always did when Luke played big brother, burying his nose in his lover's neck and kissing Luke's pulse. Jason wrinkled his nose. He hated watching those two be affectionate. For one because Octavian was a creep and for another because he couldn't get his Percy right now. Huffing, he stood and stumbled away, under the critical and concerned eyes of Thalia and Luke.

"You think your brother is alright?", asked Luke softly.

"He's done the tortured and tormented shtick for a couple days now", shrugged Thalia with a frown. "Maybe Percy has denied him sex or they're fighting or something?"

"Either way, it doesn't strike me as a good idea to let your drunk, upset brother wander the premises on his own", offered Sadie nonchalantly, one eyebrow raised. "I'd never let Carter walk away like that. I mean, I know I tease the hell out of the brat, but... he's _my_ annoying little brat."

"So true", chorused Bianca and Thalia as both started laughing.

"The burden of being a big sister", giggled Bianca, running her fingers through Annabeth's curls. "The problem is that the little brothers never listen to us when we want to help. How about I send my little brat after your little brat to check on Jason, mh?"

"Because Jason and Nico have been bffs lately?", drawled Annabeth unimpressed.

"Nico has been hanging out primarly with Jason and Percy these days", shrugged Bianca as she got up, kissing the corner of Annabeth's mouth. "Be right back. And I'll get us something to drink, mh?"

Annabeth smiled a bit dazed at Bianca, earning her a snickering giggling from Sadie and Thalia. Bianca laughed softly as she left them behind and walked over to where Nico was playing beer pong with Cecil against Reyna and Piper. It looked like the two girls were doing far better though.

"Nico! Do your beloved big sister a favor", called Bianca out with a grin.

"...What do you want?", asked Nico suspiciously.

"That you go after Jason, make sure he doesn't do something stupid. He's a bit too drunk to wander around alone", replied Bianca with a smile. "Be a good little brother, please?"

"I'll jump in for you!", chimed Lou excited and rushed over to them with a grin.

Nico snorted, rolling his eyes annoyed as he grabbed his beer bottle and made his way over into the general direction Bianca had pointed. Like he could deny his big sister anyway. That aside, he had noticed that the annoyingly cute blonde was being especially mopey. Nico would like to investigate on that. Ever since his first _real_ match against Jason, Nico had been both more intrigued by Jason and also more annoyed by Jason, which was really quite the headache. Loving Jason and hating that he loved Jason were a moral conflict that was really getting on Nico's nerves at the moment.

"Oi, pretty boy, don't wander off too far", called Nico annoyed as he spotted Jason.

"Oh, go rack off", muttered Jason from where he leaned against a pillar.

"What's the matter with you? You've been sour for days now", huffed Nico with a frown, approaching Jason. "So much so that your sister sent my sister to send me to babysit you."

"I don't need a babysitter", huffed Jason, clearly frustrated.

"Looks to me like you do", snorted Nico a bit amused. "Is this about the Carter-kid?"

"...Huh?", asked Jason, looking at Nico a bit unfocused and very confused.

"The Egyptian's team captain. He's all over Percy", elaborated Nico a bit concerned. "I know you're very possessive of 'your' Percy, so it gotta annoy you they're all cuddly, right?"

"Oh, what do you know about me?", huffed Jason irritated, glaring up at Nico.

"Oh, sorry for trying to help!", grunted Nico annoyed, returning the glare. "I'm just trying to be friendly! Something I've tried for weeks now, but hey, what do you care, you hate me anyway!"

Okay, so maybe his own personal frustration coupled with the post game adrenaline and the alcohol were not the best combination in the world. Neither was the factor of Jason also being intoxicated helping the situation any. Feeling cornered, Jason pushed himself off the pillar, glare hardening.

"Oh yeah, I do", spat Jason viciously, pushing against Nico's chest. "Gods, how much I hate you!"

"Like I don't know that", growled Nico and pushed back. "You rub it in _every_ chance you get! I try _everything_ to make you like me because hey, I'm Percy's friend, you're his boyfriend, I'm trying to be nice and get along! I even cooked your favorite food the past few times we met up! I agreed to watch your damn favorite movie even though I hate those stupid on-the-nose comedies! I try everything to make you like me, but all you do is hate me!"

"I _hate_ that you even know my favorite food and how to cook it or what my favorite movie is", growled Jason and swung an actual punch at Nico, frustration cooking too close to the surface. "I hate that you try being all considerate and sweet and that you're so fucking charming!"

"Oh yeah, being nice is totally a quality that should be hated", snorted Nico, rubbing his sore jaw as he balled his fist. "If anything, I'm the one who'd have a right to hate _you_ , you know?! Gods, you're everything I ever hated. You're so fucking perfect, with that pretty boy face and that sparkly white smile, son of Jupiter and dating Percy Jackson."

"That's it right there", growled Jason, grabbing Nico by the collar and pushing him against the pillar. "That's all I am to you, isn't it? I'm Percy's boyfriends. That's the only reason you're trying to be 'nice' to me anyway. It's all because of Percy, of course, because Percy is amazing and beautiful and perfect and _he_ deserves to be loved by everyone! He deserves being loved, he deserves it so, so much! You're not being nice to me for _me_. You don't like me."

Nico growled back and pushed Jason off some. "Oh, fuck you, you arrogant prick. You don't know me, you don't know half of me, but all you do is assume shit about me!"

"Yeah, well whose fault is it that I don't know half about you? You claim you're trying to be nice, but you don't actually care, do you?", snorted Jason with a sneer. "You only care about Percy."

Jason punched Nico again, words dripping with desperation and frustration. Of course Nico only cared about Percy. Percy was everything pure and perfect on this planet. That was why Jason loved him and was so, so, _so_ honored to be Percy's boyfriend. But of course it couldn't be enough for Jason, no, idiot Jason had to go and fall in love with someone who hated him and loved Percy. Frustrated tears were prickling in the corners of Jason's eyes and he really blamed the alcohol for those because he wasn't a crier. Having Nico pinned against the pillar again, fists clenched in the collar of Nico's shirt, so close he could feel Nico's breath against his skin and the warmth of his body against himself, having the adrenaline and anxiety coursing through his veins, Jason did the impossible thing. The thing he hadn't even dared _thinking_ about yet. And without said thinking, Jason leaned in and smashed their lips together in a heated, drunk, angry kiss. Nico, overwhelmed and stunned and a bit confused because he had expected another punch to the jaw, stood frozen. Kissing Jason was like having living electricity running through his body. But Nico didn't even get the chance to decide how to react, because a gasp interrupted them and broke whatever spell had taken hold of the two boys. They bolted apart, both looking equally shocked and mortified and that expression only got amplified when they turned to see Percy, just standing there and staring at them with a look of utter betrayal and heartbreak written all over his face.

"P—Percy", whispered Jason, voice cracking. "Shit. I... Percy, wait!"

But the son of Poseidon had already taken off as fast as his feet could carry.

/10 Minutes Earlier\

Sadie had decided to join Percy and Carter and she was even gracious enough not to tease her little brother anymore. Either she got bored or she actually had mercy, Percy couldn't quite tell. With Sadie also came the girls. Rachel, Annabeth, Bianca and Thalia, in this case. Rachel had been busy drawing the school's symbol on cheeks of the drunken cheerful. She hummed as she drew a falcon on Carter's cheek, much to the Egyptian's embarrassment.

"I'm sure Lord Horus will like this", drawled Sadie with a teasing edge to it.

"Can you draw lightning on Jason's face? In like a badass kind of way?", asked Percy eagerly.

"Sure, if your boyfriend is done moping", snorted Rachel amused.

"Moping?", echoed Percy confused and looked around. "...Where _is_ my boyfriend?"

"We sent him off to get some fresh air", said Thalia and rolled her eyes. "He was pretty drunk."

"And then you sent him off _alone_?", asked Percy wide-eyed.

"Yeah. We also told him to get into the next unmarked van with any stranger offering candy", drawled Thalia with a pointed look. "No. We sent Nico after him to make sure he lives."

"...And that seemed like a good idea, how exactly?", asked Percy and squinted at the daughter of Zeus with an incredulous look on his face. "Sure, they're acting kind of civil these days, but I'm still afraid they're gonna smash each other's skulls in if left unsupervised."

"Maybe that's what they need", pointed Bianca out. "All that unsolved tension is gonna lead to an explosion sooner or later. Sooner would probably be safer than later, so let them explode. They're boys, in my time and day, it was normal for them to have a little quarrel in the back alley and once the testosterone is released, things are better."

"Back in your time, huh grandma?", laughed Annabeth amused, raising one eyebrow at her girlfriend as she leaned up to peck Bianca's lips. "You're cute when you talk like an old lady."

Percy snorted a bit amused. He wondered if Bianca was going to tell Annabeth the truth, despite the gods' warning. Sighing, Percy got up after wiggling his way out of Carter's grasp.

"I'm getting Jason. I'd prefer if they didn't smash each other's faces in. Those are pretty faces, they should stay intact", stated Percy with a playful grin. "See you guys in a bit."

Finding them wasn't too hard, because there was a lot of screaming that got louder the closer he got. He frowned concerned, sure he would have to physically break them apart by the time he reached them. What he absolutely had not expected was to find them kissing. Nico pressed against a pillar by Jason, lips smashing in what looked like quite the passionate kiss. A gasp escaped him without his permission as he instinctively took a step back, unable to look away.

Of course they were kissing.

Percy had known this all along. He had always known that one day, Jason would realize he could do better and he would find someone more worthy than Percy. He had also known just how worthy Nico was ever since he had met the son of Hades. He should have figured this out long ago, but he was just too stupid to do that, wasn't he? Somehow, it felt as though his insides were breaking. Not just his heart, but also his soul and what little bit of self-worth he had tried to build up over the past years at Novus Olympus. With his head buzzing, he ran off as fast as he could.

He didn't even mind his very confused friends as he ran past them, not even noticing that he did run past them actually. He was heading straight for his bedroom and threw himself onto his own bed, regardless of just how dramatic the action felt. He grabbed the stupid stuffed plush horse that Jason had won for him at the fair they had visited last week and hugged it tightly.

/break\

"...So, that didn't look good", noted Carter with a frown as he got up.

"Was that Percy? What's wrong?", asked Leo concerned, gravitating toward them in worry.

"No idea. He went to get Jason, but returned without him and ran past us", shrugged Annabeth.

She sighed and got up, worry etched into her features. Despite Octavian's protests, Luke also got up and followed Percy together with Carter, Leo, Annabeth, Rachel, Thalia and Bianca. Percy wasn't known to display his emotions – other than happiness and cheer – quite that publicly, but if they hadn't been mistaken, there had been tears running down Percy's cheeks.

"Perce?", asked Carter concerned as he knocked on Percy's bedroom door.

"Seaweed Brain, are you alright?", asked Annabeth and just opened the door to walk in.

"Percy, what _happened_?", asked Leo wide-eyed and rushed over to the bed.

Within seconds, Percy was surrounded by Leo, Annabeth and Carter and he found himself sobbing into Annabeth's lap with Carter running his fingers through Percy's hair and Leo cooing softly.

"Come on, talk to us", whispered Carter softly. "What got you so upset?"

"T—They... k—kissed...", whispered Percy between hiccups.

"What? Who?", asked Leo very confused.

"J—Jay a—and... N—Nico...", sobbed Percy, curling tighter around Annabeth.

"Say what now?", grunted the Latino stunned. "Nico and Jason? Kissing?"

"Oh, Percy...", sighed Annabeth softly, hugging him a bit tighter.

"S—Should have known this...", mumbled Percy, clawing at Annabeth. The others exchanged a couple confused looks, Thalia, Bianca and Luke stepping closer as they waited for Percy to continue. "S—Should have known... Knew. Knew Jay would... realize he... he can do better..." The others were stunned silent, they had never heard Percy talk about himself like that. Frank and Hazel, who had gone to follow their boyfriend when Leo suddenly left the party, approached them with confused looks on their faces, Annabeth motioning for them to keep silent. "Why... does it hurt so much... I... knew... all along Jay deserves b—better... T—Then why does it still _hurt_ so much...?"

"Percy", grunted Carter displeased, grasping Percy's face. "What are you talking about? He doesn't deserve you if he goes around kissing others. You're allowed to hurt."

"Well, I'll have to kill my brother", drawled Thalia with a serious glare, cracking her knuckles.

"I've... never seen him that way", muttered Luke disturbed, watching the sobbing mess.

Hazel shifted uncomfortably, averting her eyes. "I... heard him say something like that before. He... doesn't... I don't think he holds himself in high regards."

"...And Jason and Nico just crushed it completely", summed Luke up. " _I_ may have to kill your brothers. Both of them. And I will employ Clarisse's help for it."

When the door opened a few moments later, Thalia and Luke were still silently fighting who got to kill the boys. In came an annoyed Clarisse, a worried Silena and also Jason and Nico. The fight between Thalia and Luke paused as both turned to glare pointedly at Jason and Nico. Percy had fast sobbed himself to sleep in Annabeth's and Carter's arms.

"You two are not allowed to come anywhere near him", growled Carter aiming a nearly deadly glare at the two demigods. "I swear, if you come close to him, I will personally send Horus after you guys and you will learn that the rage of a god is superior to that of a demigod."

"Please, I... I need to explain. I need to apologize to him. Please", begged Jason with a heartbroken look of his own. "What he saw was... it wasn't what it looked like!"

"So you weren't smoothing Death Boy?", inquired Leo pointedly. "Seriously, man. I love you, but if you're seriously cheating on Percy, I'll ask Frank to turn into a dragon and then I will chop you up and feed you to him after he roasts you."

"...I'm not sure I want to eat cheater", muttered Frank and made a face.

"I didn't cheat!", exclaimed Jason desperately. "It was _one_ kiss! Stupid kiss in the heat of the moment, I swear! It wasn't planned or anything, I didn't mean for it to happen, please!"

Bianca and Thalia exchanged a look before nodding to themselves. They got up and headed toward their brothers. Both boys instinctively flinched away, knowing their sisters well enough to expect their protective wrath. Bianca glared pointedly at Nico and grabbed him by the ear.

"You and me are going to have words with each other now and you will explain to me what happened", declared Bianca and pulled him by the ear like their mamma used to do.

"Same for you, brat", grunted Thalia, grabbing Jason by the neck with a pointed glare. "You got a lot to explain and if you don't make it a _good_ explanation – better than that crap just there – I will marinade you so you taste better for Frank, you hear me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... they did it. Everything is out in the open. Next chapter; protective sister talk times two and actual conversations between the threesome regarding feelings. Nico and Jay have some making-up to do, that much is for sure ùû
> 
> Regarding my updating schedule; the entire schedule can be found on my profile now!


	12. Confessing, Grovelling and Begging

_Chapter 12: Confessing, Grovelling and Begging_

Nico ducked his head like a guilty, little child as he followed his sister and listened to her fast-paced cussing and chiding in Italian. Of course she had grown fond of Percy; everyone who meets the guy grows fond of him. And Nico had screwed up majorly, so he deserved the mental beat down.

"Now. Explain", ordered Bianca sternly once they reached her room.

Drew and Nyssa were still out on the celebration, so it was just the two of them. Nico shuffled awkwardly around, feeling very small and very useless under her fierce and evil glare.

"I didn't mean to fall in love with them", blurted Nico out, clearly unnerved.

"W—What?", stammered Bianca stunned.

"It started out with Percy, because he's just so _Percy_. He was so kind and sweet and adorable and amazing and I couldn't help but fall for him, so I tried not to love him and instead befriend him and I thought that befriending his boyfriend and keeping in mind that Percy has a boyfriend would help, but then that stupid, stupid blonde made me also fall for him", blurted Nico out, glad to finally have someone he could tell all of this about. "But Jason doesn't even like me. He hates me. And Percy just sees me as a friend. And I'm hopelessly in love with _both_ and then Jason kissed me – I really don't know why – and Percy saw it and now we hurt Percy and that's just... unacceptable."

"Wind back to the part where you're in love with both", requested Bianca with a frown.

"I didn't mean to", groaned Nico and collapsed face-first onto her bed, hugging her pillow to his face so he could scream into it. "This is all a big, dumb mess. I should have-"

"If you finish that sentence, I will personally smack you to kingdom come", warned Bianca sharply, forcing her brother to roll over so she could grasp his face and look him deep in the eyes. "It is good that we are alive again. You screwed up, yes, but it is part of living to mess up. And so is apologizing and making amends. But first, I want to hear more about this."

/break\

"Explain yourself and if it is not a good explanation, I will fry you", warned Thalia as she stalked up and down in front of the couch where Jason was sitting. "I mean, quite obviously your brain has already been fried, but I will still fry you, Jason."

"I love Percy", was the first thing Jason felt he needed to say. "I love him more than anything, I swear. But... But... I think I also fell in love with Nico. He's always around Percy and at first, I was very jealous of that, because Percy is _mine_. But the more time I was forced to spend with Nico, the more he... grew on me. A—And suddenly, I saw things... differently. I started liking the sight of Percy and Nico _together_. And I grew jealous of both of them when I saw them together, like... I wanted to be with them too. But it's so frustrating, because I love Percy and Percy should be enough, he _deserves_ to be enough. I guess... bottling it all up is what made me... react in a really dumb way and just kiss Nico. Maybe I should have talked to someone about it before..."

"You think so?", snorted Thalia sarcastically before sighing. "So what you're saying is that you love both of them and want to be with both of them? Then why haven't you... brought it up with both of them? Sitting down together to talk about this."

"Oh yeah, sure. How would that end?", snarked Jason pointedly. "Percy, you're not enough for me anymore. Nico, even though I'm nothing but an asshole to you, I really like you. So, wanna try being in a polyamorous relationship, guys?"

"That would be a start", grunted Thalia pointedly before hitting Jason upside the head.

/break\

"Here, have another spoon of chocolate-chip-cookie-dough", offered Carter softly.

Percy eagerly opened his mouth. He was laying between Carter and Annabeth, each of his friends having a box of ice-cream in their laps, altering between eating themselves and feeding Percy. Leo and Rachel sat opposite them, also eating ice-cream. Percy was pretty embarrassed about his break-down earlier. He normally had more control over himself. But then again, Jason had become somewhat of his anchor over the past years and he just lost him. Percy was so tired of losing people. He had lost his mother far too early and she had been his world. Her and Tyson had been the only people on the _planet_ to care about him and love him before he came here and for someone who had never experienced friendship of love outside of the family for twelve years, it was still pretty hard to grasp that anyone would suddenly feel love or attachment to him. He had never made friends before he had joined this school and all he had known was the love of his mother and brother and the hatred of his stepfather and bullies. Even after five years, it was still a matter of adjustment.

"How are you feeling, Perce?", asked Leo concerned, offering peppermint-chocolate-ice-cream.

"Like I just lost my boyfriend to my crush", muttered Percy and made a face.

"Well, this is quite the mess", stated Annabeth. "You know what you're going to do?"

"Kick Jason in the balls?", offered Percy unsure. "I mean, I... I understand that he wants Nico more than me and... I get that. But he could have broken up with me _first_."

"Half-right answer", chuckled Annabeth a bit pained. "Do a lot of kicking, but... stop thinking like you're not worth being loved. If I had known you were struggling with these kind of things, I would have... I don't know, but I would have done something, anything."

"Percy, can... we talk?"

The five turned to stare over at the kicked-puppy-like Jason, followed by an awkward Nico. Both Bianca and Thalia were looming over them like a menacing shadow. Carter almost felt sorry for them, but it really was only almost. He glared fiercely at the both of them.

"I don't really think you have a right to talk to Percy", pointed Carter out harshly.

"The whole feeding-you-to-a-dragon thing is still being planned", added Leo pointedly.

"It's alright, guys. Back off", ordered Thalia. "They have a lot to explain to Percy and Percy deserves to hear it so give them a chance to say it to him."

Carter glared fiercely at the two fidgeting boys before he slowly nodded and got up. He kissed Percy's cheek before leaving the room together with the girls and Leo. Percy pulled his legs up against his chest and stared at Jason and Nico doubtfully.

"Yes?", asked Percy, unsure if he really wanted to hear what was to come.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't even say sorry often enough to express how sorry I am", blurted Jason out as he practically collapsed on the ground next to the bed, looking up at Percy pleadingly.

"Thalia said you have something to say. If it's just sorry, I don't want to hear it", stated Percy with a frown. "Tell me whatever it is you want to say, or leave with your new boyfriend."

"No", exclaimed Jason and shook his head surprised. "No. That's not it. Nico and I... We just... It was _one_ kiss. And it was the heat of the moment, I swear. I didn't mean to hurt you, I just... I kept so much bottled up and when he got all in my face, I kinda just exploded. But I didn't mean to."

"So you didn't _want_ to kiss Nico?", asked Percy, eyes sharp and inquisitive.

There was a long, awkward stretch of silence in which Nico sat down on Percy's other side, watching Jason just as curiously. "...That's not what I said. I didn't mean to kiss him, but... I wanted to kiss him. Still do. Look, I think... Thalia _is_ right, there are things we need to talk about. I love you, Percy. I love you more than my own life. But... I also... have... f—feelings for Nico..." The blonde's voice wavered toward the end, not looking at either of the other two boys in the room. "And it frustrated me. I was angry. I was angry because I don't _want_ to want Nico but I still do and I was angry because you two look _so good_ together and I shouldn't appreciate how my boyfriend looks with another guy. And I guess the alcohol didn't help any either."

"...You... like me?", asked Nico a bit dumbly. "You? Me?"

Jason turned a bit to give Nico his best annoyed, pointed glare. "No, I always walk around kissing random guys and jeopardizing the most perfect relationship I could picture. Yes, I like you, idiot. And don't even _try_ to deny that you also like me, because I felt you kiss back. And then some."

Nico blushed brightly at the suggestion. So perhaps he had been a bit heated up by the kiss.

"I don't understand", admitted Percy, sounding exhausted. "You _say_ you love me, but you also say you like Nico and that Nico likes you back. So are you dumping me now or not? Because I am so getting mixed signals here and they confuse me a lot."

"I'm not breaking up with you, Percy. I will _never_ break up with you, Percy", promised Jason, taking both of Percy's hands into his own and kissing them slowly. "I... I could understand if you would want to break up with me after what I did and I'll accept it, but I won't initiate any breaking up with you, because I adore you, Perce. What I do want is... I want to suggest a polyamorous relationship. A threesome. Like what Frank, Hazel and Leo have. Only, between the three of us."

"...What?", asked Percy surprised.

"I know the way he looks at you. And I know the way you look at him, it's why I grew so jealous of Nico in the first place and why I hated that I want him. And I want you both, so... I thought maybe this could... solve all problems. Because I am happy with you and I hope you're happy with me, but I think maybe we can be even... happier together, all three of us", replied Jason anxiously. "Nico?"

Nico looked a bit overwhelmed. "I... I'm trying to compute. You kissed me, because you like me, even though you did your best to act like you can't stand the sight of me. And we don't even know if... Percy. Percy, what do you want? Because punching both of us in the face is also an option."

"I don't wanna damage those, they're too pretty", objected Percy with a slight frown. "Does that mean both of you are actually open to the idea of being... together? All three of us? You're not gonna dump me to be with Nico and you, Nico, do you actually... want me too?"

"Yes", answered Nico without missing a beat, locking eyes with Percy. "I was slowly falling for you ever since you... brought me here. I've never seen anyone as impressive as you. And I _want_ you, more than I did back then. And I also... want Jason. I was trying very hard to befriend him, trying to remind myself that you have a boyfriend and are taken and thus off-limits. Instead of helping me fall out of love with you, all it did was... make me fall for Jason. I've never really had anything like this, I mean a relationship at all, I don't know if I'd be any good at having two boyfriends. But I'd want nothing more than to be with both of you. I understand if you don't want to, or if you'd never want to talk to either of us ever again, Percy. I'd understand that."

"Would you two stop pretending you know what I'm thinking?", requested Percy very annoyed.

"Then please, tell us what it is you're thinking", stated Nico, looking at Percy honestly.

"All I can think is that I'm grateful Jason isn't breaking up with me", admitted Percy and looked at his hands. "I'm not... used to being loved. Most of the... time I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that Jason loves me at all and deep down, I've been fearing that he'll dump me for someone better at one point. I'm... I know I have issues. I know I should have probably talked about them years ago with someone. But despite my issues, I'm also... I do have pride. I'm not just going to bow down and... and only be grateful that you're not dumping me. I'm hurting because you kissed _behind my back_ and... and... I don't know how much I can trust you. So even though I will be clinging onto this relationship for dear life because I love you, I will still... require some making-up from you and the two of you will... you'll have to earn my trust back. But yes. Yes, I want that. I don't want to lose you, Jay, and... I... uh... do like you a lot, Nick."

"Earning your trust back. Yes. Obviously", nodded Jason hastily. "We'll do anything, I swear."

"Absolutely", agreed Nico, both boys looking at Percy like kicked puppies. "We'll do whatever it is you want, I swear. I will carry you on my hands wherever you want."

"Yeah, me too!", nodded Jason. "Whatever it is we can do to make it up to you."

Percy looked unsure for a moment, but Carter, Rachel, Leo and Annabeth had talked to him for over an hour, told him that he couldn't allow them to treat him that way. They understood he loved them, but he needed to regain more self-worth. He wasn't sure if he could agree. For the bigger part of his life, he had watched his mother being mistreated by her husband, the only relationship he had ever really been exposed to as a child. For all of his life prior to Novus Olympus, he had been pushed around. He wasn't really a push-over, he had always fought back, but in a way he had still accepted his fate that he would never have control over his life. His stepfather, the bullies at school, now the gods dictating his life. But Carter had, in a very stern voice, told him that - "Percy, you are the strongest person I know. Don't ever believe otherwise or allow anyone to make you feel like that is not true". So Percy was _trying_ to take that advise. It was just hard to change seventeen years of life.

"Well, for... starters, I think Nico owes me a kiss, to make this even", drawled Percy slowly.

Nico turned to look at Jason a last time just to make sure Percy's boyfriend wasn't going to punch him square in the jaw. When the blonde made no motions to stop them, Nico slowly leaned in, resting a hand on Percy's cheek and guiding his face in. Their kiss was very soft and tender. Percy tasted like the ice-cream he had just eaten, his lips soft against Nico's. They moved closer together, Percy resting his hands against Nico's chest as they deepened the kiss some.

"Okay", whispered Percy against Nico's lips as they parted. "Okay. You two are on probation and I'm pretty sure Leo and the others will brutally murder you and make your bodies disappear if you break my heart, so... Better be nice to me, both of you."

"Like we said, we'll do anything you want us to", said Jason, still looking guilty.

"Cuddles", ordered Percy then, licking his lips. "I'm feeling... very, very emotionally drained."

Jason locked eyes with Percy and frowned for a split-second before crawling into the bed and pulling Percy into a tight hug, peppering his face with kisses. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I love you. You're _so good_ for me. Thank you for... forgiving me. And for telling me how you feel. I'm very proud of you, babe. You're so, so good."

Nico frowned a bit confused as he just sat there and watched them. Percy was blushing, partially embarrassment and partially pleased. It was a cute look on Percy. And Jason was very busy showering Percy with affection. It didn't feel like simple trying to make up for what they had done.

"Is... uhm... Can I do anything too?", asked Nico, a bit lost.

"Right. New member to the relationship", hummed Percy, peeking out over Jason's shoulder. "Jay."

Jason grunted, a bit displeased that he had to stop kissing Percy to talk, but he sat up nonetheless. "Perce and I, we're... more than just boyfriends. If you want to be with us, you should know. Percy and I are also in a dom-sub-relationship with each other."

"...Interesting", stated Nico slowly, frowning in a calculating manner. "So this is... like you taking care of Percy after a session, I assume then? The, ah, pampering."

"Yeah. There's always a lot of pampering", nodded Jason. "You don't... have to partake in this aspect if it makes you uncomfortable, or at least you can take time to get used to the idea. Just, so you know that it's something we do. Percy's my sub."

"Interesting", repeated Nico as he slowly leaned down. "I... had a slightly... similar relationship to your... brother before, if we're being honest here. Though it was less on the romantic side."

"Brother?", asked Jason confused. "Percy and Tyson are the only kids of Poseidon."

Percy and Nico exchanged a couple of long glances. Jason watched the silent exchange in great confusion. In the end, Percy sighed and nodded slowly, still looking doubtful.

"Percy is the only _living_ son of Poseidon", supplied Nico as he slipped in behind Percy, pulling Percy up against his chest and enjoying that he finally got to cuddle Percy right.

"What does that even mean?", asked Jason disturbed as he started kissing Percy again.

"It means that... I was dead", continued Nico, trying to pick the right words. "I met Theseus in the underworld, when we were both ghosts. Ghosts may not really be able to touch the living, but we can sure fuck with each other. So... my ex-boyfriend of sorts is Theseus, from ancient times."

Jason paused in the kissing to stare up at Nico suspiciously, like he expected him to crack any second now and declare this a joke. When nothing of the likes happened, Jason sat up straight.

"What does _that_ mean?", demanded Jason to know, turning to Percy. "Did... Did you know?"

"Our... mission wasn't exactly to get Bianca and Nico to school safely. There actually wasn't a mission at all. Thalia and I did Hazel a favor. She met Bianca and Nico in the underworld and got close to her... dead siblings. So... we brought them back from the dead", replied Percy.

Jason stared at Nico for about an entire minute without moving. Nico used the time to caress Percy and twist him enough so Nico could do the peppering-face-with-kisses thing that Jason had done previously. It was cute how much Percy seemed to relish the affection.

"So you were dead", muttered Jason numbly. "W—When... H—How... did you die...?"

Nico's grip on Percy tightened as he needed the moral support to talk about this. Percy eagerly offered the support, snuggling up to him and kissing along his jawline soothingly.

"I died in the year 1940, in the front lines of World War II", answered Nico slowly. "I was a soldier for the Italian army. Not... that I stood behind my country's goals. But I needed the military training, because I was on a mission to kill Zeus. Futile mission, I know, but I was desperate and heart-broken, because Zeus had killed my sister, Bianca."

"You were a soldier... during WWII?", echoed Jason stunned. "That why you always get so angry when we take training as fun and all? Because you trained for the real deal."

"Exactly", nodded Nico. "So... is me being back from the dead a turn-off?"

Jason frowned disturbed. "Is it bad that you in a military uniform is a turn-on...?"

"That's all you got out of this?", snorted Nico.

Jason shrugged, a bit lost. "Dude, you like fight with zombies and ghosts. Percy talks to fishes. I can fly. It's... very surprising, but it is not the weirdest thing I've ever heard."

"Good. So, now that everything is out in the open, can we get back to cuddling me?", requested Percy. "Because the making-up will consist of tons and tons of cuddling for now."

Jason was still staring at Nico a bit disturbed, like he tried to picture him as either a soldier or a ghost. Yet still Jason snuggled up to them both. Nico shifted Percy so the Sea Prince was laying between them. Percy smiled sluggishly as he got kissed and caressed and cuddled like that. All the attention and the soft words being whispered into his ear made him sleepy.

/break\

When Percy woke up, it was to the scent of pancakes and to kisses being planted on his lips from two pairs of lips in alteration. He grinned to himself as he woke up to two eager faces hovering over him. Nico slowly placed a tray with blueberry-pancakes on Percy's lap.

"Good morning, love of my life", grinned Jason. "Here, have some freshly pressed orange juice!"

"Buongiorno, mio amore", smiled Nico seductively. "Fresh pancakes and strawberries for you."

Percy frowned when he noticed the distinctive lack of roommates. "Morning. Where's Mike and Alabaster? Normally, Al's loudness wakes me..."

"Ethan took Alabaster off our hands last night and Mike decided to crash with Dakota and Will, since the two have an empty bed in their room", explained Jason. "We will have the room to ourselves for the entire weekend, actually. Which means that me and Nico can spend the entire weekend making you feel good and loved and cherished."

Percy smiled pleased as he waited for Nico and Jason to get their own breakfast and join him. His smile grew even more as he saw that both were down to boxers and shirts. Nice sight indeed. And the food was _incredible_ , as he noticed once his two boyfriends sat down. That thought made his grin grow even wider, because wow, he had two boyfriends. Both who were being extra sweet right now because they were being guilty. Oh, they weren't forgiven just yet, but he completely enjoyed the sensation of being cherished and pampered like that.

"So, what's the plan for today then?", asked Percy curiously.

"Anything you want, though we had slight plans. Like, maybe draw you a nice warm bath after breakfast so you can enjoy your bath while we clean up and then we could give you a nice massage or something. And afterward maybe movies and cuddles?", offered Jason. "Unless you want something else, of course. Just say the word and we'll lay you the world to your feet."

"I don't need the world. You two are enough", whispered Percy before pausing. "Though actually... Everything I want? Because then the three of us are taking Tyson out to the lake. He's been begging me to and between the four of us, we could actually play water-ball and stuff."

"That sounds nice", stated Nico with a small grin. "And dinner? I wanted to cook."

"I'd be an idiot to say no to that", groaned Percy pleased and popped in a strawberry.

"Anything else to make you more comfortable, love?", asked Jason concerned.

Percy looked thoughtful for a moment before grinning like a shark. "Lose the shirts."

"What?", asked both Nico and Jason at once.

"Those shirts", elaborated Percy, pointing at the shirts. "Lose them. Gimme a nice sight to appreciate. You're both insanely good looking, so... And don't worry. I don't want _sex_. I just wanna... ogle you all day long, if we got the privacy and all."

Nico and Jason exchanged a slightly amused look before they pulled the shirts off over their heads. Percy grinned pleased as he drank in the sights of both their well-trained upper bodies.

"I love you too", said Percy after they finished breakfast. "You both said it last night. But... I love you too. I love both of you. And... I do appreciate that you're trying to make up for things."

Nico had the stupidest happy grin ever on his face and both Jason and Percy cooed at it, causing the Italian to glare at them embarrassed. "It's just... I've never had the chance to actually _have_ a boyfriend. In my days, homosexuality was literally lethal. And now... now I live in a time and place where I can have not just one handsome boyfriend but two."

"He called us handsome", grinned Percy and elbowed Jason.

"Yeah, he did. What a dork", snickered Jason, matching grin on his face.

Nico heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes, though inwardly he was grinning just as broadly. He liked this. Talking things through had lifted such a heavy weight from them all. For the first time, he could actually _talk_ to Jason. He liked the quipping and teasing and their looks.

"So, anything else you'd want, my prince?", asked Nico teasingly.

"Definitely more cuddles. In fact, let's watch cartoons and do the cuddling before I take that bath you guys suggested, because I do feel very drained still. Crying always makes me feel weird the next day, I hate it", sighed Percy and stretched out, arms reaching into the air. "One of you carry me to the living room, the other one gets the chocolate-chip-cookies."

"Carry you?", snored Jason amused. "You're going to milk this, aren't you?"

"Absolutely", hummed Percy as Nico lifted him up bridal style while Jason fetched the cookies.

"Sweets right after breakfast", sighed Nico in mock-disappointment.

"Anything I want, you said", chimed Percy with a broad grin.

Nico laid down on the couch, leaning against the arm-rest of the couch, with Percy curling up against his chest. Once the cookies were placed within reach, Jason jumped over the back-rest of the couch and sneaked in between Percy and the back-rest, reluctantly placing his head on Nico's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around Percy's waist and pulled him close.

"I want pizza for dinner", declared Percy. "Self-made. And Jason's apple-pie."

"Jason makes apple-pie?", asked Nico intrigued, turning toward the blonde.

While Jason blushed a bit in embarrassment, Percy nodded wildly. "He makes _the best_ apple pie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, they talked about things. I contemplated keeping Nico's secret some longer, but fuck that. It's an unnecessary tool for more drama and I do prefer the honest "I'm the Flash and literally everyone knows"-route. Now, what's been talked about needs to settle down some, Nico and Jason have more making-up to do, Tyson gets his trip to the lake and Nico, Jason and Percy get used to being boyfriends!


	13. How to Mend What's Broken

_Chapter 13: How to Mend What's Broken  
_

"We win again!"

Percy smiled kindly as he gave his little brother a double high-five. Tyson cheered loudly and looked utterly happy, while Nico and Jason looked more than exhausted. As promised, they had taken Tyson out to the lake today to play with him. Nico had made a big box of lunch for a picnic and Jason had obediently baked the requested apple-pie.

"You think we can take a break? I'm also kinda hungry?", asked Jason hopefully.

The two energetic sons of Poseidon had chased him and Nico through the lake for the past two hours now and even though it was good to see both of them so happy, Jason really needed a break.

Having mercy on his boys, Percy nodded and shouldered Tyson. The little one cheered once again as he was sitting on his big brother's shoulders and was being carried over to the picnic sight. Smiling to himself, Percy watched how Jason and Nico practically stumbled over each other to set everything and hand-feed Percy. It was the most ridiculous and silly thing ever and Percy thoroughly enjoyed it. Tyson kept giggling too, every time Percy would demandingly open his mouth, just to have Jason hand-feed him a grape.

"Does that mean I have to share you with _both_ now, big brother?", asked Tyson suspiciously. "Are they both your special someones now? Because I dunno if I can really give you away that often..."

Percy blushed very brightly, but he nodded slowly in answer. "Yes... They're both my very special someones. But that doesn't mean I'll have any less time for you, Ty."

Tyson frowned and turned to glare accusingly over at Nico and Jason. "You two better be good to my big brother, because he's the best big brother in the entire world. And you should be nice to me, or else I'll forbid you from spending time with _my_ awesome big brother."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Tyson nodded pleased with himself. Both Nico and Jason looked fondly amused, but they also knew this to be true. Percy may love them both, but he loved Tyson more than the two of them combined and if they'd ever treat Ty wrong, Percy would most likely end them in a cruel way. Grinning, Jason handed Tyson a piece of apple-pie.

"Ty, we love Percy very much and we promise we won't hurt him", stated Jason firmly.

"You better not", hummed Tyson as he dug into his apple-pie. "Or else I'll go and tell dad and Tri."

Jason's and Nico's eyes widened comically, because as adorable as Tyson's threats were, there were two very protective gods who would certainly come up with rather creative punishments for them if they'd hurt Percy again – or if they ever learn about that kiss.

"Dad's going to love this", grinned Percy mischievously, while his boyfriends gulped.

"W—Would you like more pie, Percy?", offered Nico a bit helplessly.

"Aw, you two are utterly adorable", cooed Percy and leaned in to kiss them.

First, he stole a kiss from Jason and then from Nico. Maybe this would be a nice little punishment.

/break\

"So, killing them is off the table for now?", inquired Leo reluctantly.

"Not for now. For good", huffed Percy with a pointed look. "No killing my boyfriends."

"Unless they break your heart", argued Annabeth stubbornly.

Aside from visiting the lake, Percy, Nico and Jason had not left Percy's room at all. But now it was Monday and Annabeth and Leo had come to pick Percy up and walk him to class.

"So we spent the entire weekend on planning a double murder for nothing?", asked Leo.

"You did what?", asked Percy stunned.

"Octavian had the best plans to supply once we re-grouped with Luke. You know Octavian is always attached to him, but... he's very helpful when planning a murder", stated Annabeth.

"No one is killing anyone!", exclaimed Percy annoyed. "Especially not my boyfriends!"

"Why did I just hear a plural there?"

Heaving a sigh, Percy turned slightly to spot his father in the swimming pool, looking stern and a bit surprised. Percy had a free period Monday mornings, so he spent it in the pool, training with his father. Poseidon regarded him with an inquisitive look while Annabeth and Leo patted him on the back before walking out. Confrontations with gods not being their parents rarely worked out. Percy gulped as his father gave him the most inquisitive, pointed look. Why exactly had he thought it'd be a funny idea to have Poseidon threaten his boyfriends...?

"Daddy!", chimed Percy with his most innocent look as he went to hug Poseidon.

Poseidon was a bit like Percy in that aspect; he loved hugs and cuddles and always was more pleasant when he got either from his 'precious little baby boy'. Percy smiled innocently up at Poseidon, with those large eyes of his and from beneath his long lashes. If his friends couldn't resist his kitten eyes, then it was safe to say his dad turned into a puddle of goo.

"Perseus, sweetheart, who is your new boyfriend?", asked Poseidon while hugging his son.

Sighing, Percy rested his cheek against Poseidon's chest. "...Nico di Angelo. Don't kill him?"

"The dead one?", asked Poseidon stunned. "Hades' formerly dead brat? Is that why you broke the rules and went to the underworld to free him?"

"No. I did it for my friend. It just happened... I fell in love with him", whispered Percy, eyes closed. "I love him a lot. And I love Jason. And Jason loves Nico and Nico loves Jason. It... It could be perfect. I dunno. I mean, we've only been dating for like three days."

"So you are asking me not to drown them then?", sighed Poseidon, close to pouting.

"Please?", pleaded Percy and looked up with even wider eyes.

"Fine, fine", huffed Poseidon reluctantly, looking deep into Percy's eyes.

The dark circles beneath Percy's eyes were gone and Triton had reported to Poseidon that Percy hadn't been in the pool the entire weekend. It was already rare enough not to see Percy in the pool for an entire day, but if the united force of two boyfriends managed to force Percy to rest? Then Poseidon approved. Percy was the cause of most of Poseidon's gray hair these days, after all.

"But if they _ever_ hurt you, they will pay", warned Poseidon. "Now get in the water, kiddo."

Percy grinned brightly as he ran to get changed and start his morning training.

/break\

Jason shifted nervously as he entered his own room for the first time in three days, after a long and exhausting day of classes. Frank and Leo sat together on Frank's bed, both of them staring at him like he was something very vile and very unlovable.

"Percy forgave me?", offered Jason with a puppy-look.

Leo was the first to cave, sighing softly. "Jay, man, I love you, but... Don't do shit like that again."

"No, I swear!", promised Jason. "I mean... I really didn't mean to hurt Percy. I swear."

Heaving another sigh, Leo went to hug Jason. "I know, bro. I know you love him."

Jason relaxed a little, smiling at his best friend. Leo hit Jason's shoulder as the two boys sat down. Frank chuckled amused as he watched the two friends. Jason's blue eyes found Leo's.

"So... I'm not on the blacklist anymore? No feeding me to Frank...?", asked Jason.

"I don't want to eat you anyway", huffed Frank annoyed. "You probably taste awful."

"You're on probation, per Percy's orders", chuckled Leo amused. "Though, I mean... You and Percy... and Nico? You're... an actual threesome now? For real? I mean, Nico?"

Jason shrugged helplessly. "He's... I don't know. I mean, he's charming and sweet and cute and I started to really like the way him and Percy look together... I guess I kinda fell for him..."

"You're so cute", grinned Leo teasingly, elbowing Jason. "I for my part am glad we're not the only threesome around anymore. We can go on double-dates together!"

Frank just snorted fondly as he watched the excitement bubbling up to the surface. He leaned back to watch Leo gesturing wildly and planning double-dates. Deep down, Frank was really glad this hadn't blown over. He liked both Jason and Percy and he would have hated for them to suffer heartbreak and separate. He knew they were good for each other, after all. Now he just hoped they'd work out with Nico added in the mix. Things could get a bit awkward when a couple added a third member, because the two who were in a relationship before tended to continue as before, out of habit, leaving the third feeling left out. Or, other extreme, both would be so focused on their new member that they'd neglect each other and the relationship between the two who had been together first suffered from it. Frank just hoped they'd find their own way to balance it out.

/break\

Nico absentmindedly reached out to grab another chip to munch. He had been eating chips and gummy bears for a few hours now because he couldn't tear his eyes off the laptop long enough to prepare dinner. He had been reading everything about BDSM that he could get his hands on. And to get the actually helpful stuff, he had to dig deeper. He wanted to do this right. With Theseus, in the underworld, it had been a bit of a whatever situation. It was just about releasing decades – or in Thess' case millenia – of sexual frustrations. But what Nico felt for Percy and Jason was like nothing he had felt before so he wanted to do this right. Truly and fully. He didn't want to push Percy's hard limits just because he didn't know what they were.

"Uhm? Bad... time?"

Blinking slowly, Nico looked up. First, he caught the clock – damn, it really had been hours that he had been reading up on this stuff – then he saw the awkwardly shifting blonde standing in the doorwway. Nico was the only one in his room at the moment, Malcolm had headed to the library pretty much the second classes ended and Cecil went to town with Lou and Will about two hours ago.

"Jason?", asked Nico a bit surprised, sitting up. "Hey. No, no bad time. What's up?"

"Well, I was visiting Frank and Leo for a bit after training and then I went to see Percy, but he's still training. He said we could meet up after training, the three of us, so I figured I would go ahead..."

Nico grinned pleased at that, watching how Jason awkwardly sat down next to him on the couch, shifting and looking uncomfortable. Electric-blue eyes were fixed on the screen curiously.

"Uh, what are you reading?", asked Jason confused, trying to see from afar.

Nico frowned as he saw just how awkward Jason was being. "I'm reading up on BDSM. You said Percy is your sub, right? I like that idea. A lot. I want to... want to be a part of that too, but I don't want to make any mistakes. I don't... want to accidentally hurt Percy, you know?"

"That's... sweet", grinned Jason, sitting about two foot away from Nico.

They remained like that for about ten minutes, before Nico grew a bit unnerved. "Okay. Seriously. What's with the hovering from the distance thing? You... said you like me."

"I do", mumbled Jason, irritated and frustrated. "I just... don't know what to _do_. Percy's not here yet and... and the last time you and I, well, were _alone_ , it ended with heartache for Percy."

"Yeah, but that was before we were dating", pointed Nico out, raising one eyebrow. "There's no need to feel like we're going behind Percy's back. We're not just _his_ boyfriends. We're also each other's boyfriends. You and me, we're together now, right? So... you think we should just sit there and obediently wait until Percy graces us with his presence before we can be together?"

"...Well, when you put it like that", muttered Jason with a frown.

Nico snorted and grasped Jason by the neck, pulling him down into a deep, slow kiss. He could practically feel how Jason relaxed until he was practically laying against Nico's chest. The Italian grinned pleased, running his hands down Jason's back to fold them on his lower back.

"There, that's better", whispered Nico, burying his nose in Jason's golden hair.

Humming in agreement, Jason snuggled up to Nico, yawning a little. "Yeah, it really is..."

"Tired, darling?", asked Nico teasingly, rubbing circles on Jason's back.

"Mh... a bit... Training was hard...", murmured Jason, eyes slowly closing.

Nico caressed Jason's hair tenderly. "Why don't you close your eyes for a bit, sweetheart?"

"Don't 'sweetheart' me", complained Jason with an adorable frown.

"But darling is alright?", grinned Nico amused, continuing the soothing caresses. "Come on, you deserve your rest, being such a good team captain and all. I'll wake you when Percy comes?"

Jason hummed and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he was gone and slowly slipped down Nico's chest until he was resting with his head in Nico's lap. The Italian continued playing with the soft golden hair while still reading up on 'how to be a good dom who treats his sub right'.

"Hello, boyfriends mine, I am here. Worship me."

Nico had to bite his tongue not to laugh out loud as Percy marched into the room, looking even more exhausted than Jason. His shirt was a bit wet and clinging to his torso in a very delicious way. Nico offered his other boyfriend a smile, heart fluttering as he thought about having two boyfriends.

"Sh, Jay fell asleep half an hour ago", whispered Nico, all promises of waking Jason up fading away when he saw how serene and cute the sleeping blonde looked. "Exhausting training."

Percy grunted in acknowledgement and crawled onto the couch on Nico's other side, first leaning in to kiss Nico briefly and then leaning down to kiss Jason's cheek tenderly. After the kissing, he stretched out and yawned very cat-like. Nico blinked stunned and watched him.

"Jay teased about you being like a kitten last weekend, but I didn't think you really did behave like a kitten", muttered Nico amused, pulling Percy into another kiss. "Such a cute kitten you are."

"Meow", teased Percy amused before yawning. "What cha doing, Nick?"

"Researching how to be a good dom for you", replied Nico a little embarrassed.

"You just give me orders and punish me when I misbehave?", offered Percy confused.

"No, that's not right", frowned Nico, looking intensely at Percy. "Percy, have you..." Though then he thought better of it, because Percy was already half-asleep sitting upright and Jason was asleep. "Nevermind. You look exhausted, would you like to nap? I do have one empty thigh."

Grinning at Percy, Nico patted his Jason-free thigh. Percy looked at it tempted before he curled together in a cat-like manner and rested his head on the offered thigh. Closing his eyes, Percy was out like a candle within minutes. Nico took a few moments to marvel at the two boys sleeping in his lap. They loved him and he loved them. They trusted him to watch over them while they slept peacefully. And gods, they were so beautiful. Putting his laptop away, he started caressing both their hair and focusing on them instead. His boyfriends. His.

/break\

"He's so _cute_ when he sleeps. Look at that tiny happy smile."

"Sh, you'll wake him, Percy. Stop it with the giggling."

"Can't help it. Look how he's wrinking his lose. It's adorable."

Nico frowned, eyelids fluttering open. Percy and Jason were leaning over him, broad grins on their faces. Frown deepening, Nico yawned. Percy caressed Nico's cheek, grin turning into a smile.

"...What happened?", asked Nico confused as he sat up.

"Well, by the time we woke up, you were asleep yourself. We decided to let you sleep and order pizza", replied Jason simply, pointing at a half-empty pizza box.

Nodding in understanding, Nico stretched out and then laid his arms around his boyfriends. "C'mere. I'm still tired. You two look comfy. I vote for cuddles."

"You guys aren't good for me. I turn into a lazy sleepy kitten", pouted Percy, snuggling up.

"But you're such a _cute_ sleepy kitten", teased Jason, leaning in to kiss Percy's nose.

"Agreed", hummed Nico as the threesome curled together closer.

"So...", drawled Percy awkwardly. "My dad knows about us. He may or may not send Triton after you to threaten you since he promised to lay off and I doubt he'd give in so easily."

"Being threatened by a god. Been there, done that", nodded Nico casually.

"Yeah, you did a lot already", muttered Jason, looking up at Nico.

Nico raised one eyebrow. Over the past three days, Jason had spent a lot of time staring at him thoughtfully. The Italian noticed. It was most likely the blonde contemplating that Nico was nearly a century old and had fought in a war. Sighing, Nico decided to cave in.

"If there's anything you want to know, you just have to ask me", prompted Nico.

"Would you mind telling me more about, well, what your life was like? I mean, before... the war", asked Jason curiously. "I was just wondering... I mean, you and Bianca, how did you grow up?"

"We were happy", whispered Nico, voice mournful as he stared up at the ceiling. "My mamma and her sister Elena raised us. We were all living in the family mansion of my grandparents. We were a big, happy family. The whole via would come to our garden parties. Nonno Antonio, he was like a father figure to me. He was a fair and gentle man, who had served out country during the first World War. I always planned on joining the army and following my grandfather's footsteps, to be honest. I just... never expected it to be like that. Zeus, when he learned about me and my sister, he was furious. The two of us were the youngest children of the Big Three at the time and all others were already deeply involved in the blossoming war. If Bianca and I would have joined the sides of our half-siblings, the war would have tilted in Hades' favor and Zeus couldn't stand the idea. Mamma protected us when Zeus tried to kill Bianca and me. She... died. I swore to avenge her, so I signed up for the army. Short... Shortly after I left, Zeus killed Bianca. I... zia Elena sent me a letter. I didn't even get to attend her funeral because I was stationed in Greece and... well, then I died."

"Then you died?", asked Jason a bit dumbly. "I mean, how... how did you die? If you don't mind."

"I love you", hummed Nico, kissing Jason's temple. "I believe that in a relationship between people who love each other, there shouldn't be anything you can't talk about."

Both Percy and Jason looked a bit troubled by that, because there were things they had never told each other. Their focus went back to Nico though when the Italian sighed with a far-off look on his face. Frowning, Percy leaned in to kiss him softly.

"You don't _have_ to tell us though", offered Percy. "You don't have to talk about painful things."

"But that's what makes them less painful", argued Nico with a sad look. "Sharing it with someone who... loves me. Takes away some of the pain, I guess." Nico sighed again, arms around Percy and Jason tightening just a little as he pulled them closer. "It was a mission, but... War was different back then. We didn't have as many toys to help us out and I... I didn't have as much of a grasp on my powers. It was an ambush. Many of my comrades died. Honestly, it's all a big blur. Death does that to you, it whacks your perception. I remember getting shot. I remember the searing pain tearing my intestines apart. I remember the pain of bleeding out. That part is... pretty vivid." Nico slowly sat up and got out of his shirt, pointing at a nasty scar a bit above his naval as well as one on his shoulder. "That's the one that pierced my intestines and that one... it split when it hit bone and part of it pierced my heart. Don't know which one really killed me in the end, I guess."

There was tenderness and pain in his boyfriends' eyes. Jason softly kissed Nico's back, the scar on his shoulder. Percy leaned down to kiss the one on Nico's stomach. Afterward, the two of them practically squished Nico in a loving hug. Nico gulped strangled, feeling suffocated by the love.

"You're not getting shot again", whispered Percy softly. "You're safe now. No more Batman solo missions to avenge anyone. Only teamwork. You got us now, Nico."

"Yeah", agreed Jason with a frown. "I'm... sorry. That you had to go through that and because of-"

"Don't say it", warned Nico with his own frown. "What your father did is not your fault, Jay."

Jason bit his lower lip as he stared at Nico doubtfully. The Italian had just shared the most traumatizing experience of his life. Well, lives. And Nico had done it because he loved them.

"There... is... something I've never...", started Jason unsure. "Never told anyone. Not even Perce."

"What?", asked Percy surprised and a bit hurt.

Jason looked a bit unsure and helpless. "We... said no more secrets. So I guess..." He bit his lip, tracing the scar on it with his tongue. "This scar. I never told you how I got it."

"Mh. You're... right", said Percy with a thoughtful frown. "Well, I always guessed... a quest?"

Shaking his head, Jason sighed and sat up some more. "When... I was a couple months old, my mother threw an empty bottle after me for crying too loud and for reminding her of what she had lost because of me and my sister. I was too small to really understand so I started chewing on a piece of class. That's how I cut my lip. Thalia took it away from me. She... protected me. In the time we lived with our mother, she always... took the brute force on the occasions that mother got physically violent. They were... rare and in between, she was more on the name calling and cursing side of things. Blamed Thalia and me for our father abandoning her, for her career ending..."

"J—Jay...", whispered Percy, grasping both sides of Jason's face to look him deep in the eyes. "Why... Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

He carefully kissed Jason's lip, exactly where the scar was. "Because I was trying to be strong for you, Perce. What... What I went through, I mean, it wasn't... _that_ bad. Not as bad as what you went through, so... I guess I felt like it'd unnecessarily burden you and like I couldn't... be as strong."

"W—What I went through?", asked Percy, shifting nervously.

"No more secrets", said Jason with a slightly pointed look. "I... I was an abused kid, I recognized the signs in you. But you always avoided it and I figured... we'd work best if we just not talk about it at all. But I promised myself I'd protect you from anyone else trying to hurt you."

Percy took a shaky breath, folding himself very small under the looks of his boyfriends. Both of them reached out for him with a reassuring look, while Nico also still had a hand resting on Jason's lower back to support the blonde. Percy looked at them doubtfully.

"I... never... told this to anyone either", admitted Percy unsure. "My stepfather. Tyson doesn't know. I managed to shield him from it. But... While it happened, it didn't matter because there was no one to tell about it. I couldn't tell mom, he threatened to hurt her too. And when it was over, when he... and mom... were gone and Ty and I came here... It happened so fast. Suddenly I was a hero and everyone was looking up at me and... I felt like a fraud. Couple months ago, I hadn't even been strong enough to protect myself, how could I call myself a hero? I couldn't tell anyone. A—And then... you... I love you, Jay. I thought if you knew, you'd... think I was a fraud too, or that I was too weak to... to be loved. I don't deserve you. I thought you'd think I'm too... damaged to bother with."

"Percy", whispered Nico urgently, gently caressing Percy's cheek. "That someone hurt you doesn't make you damaged. Being abused doesn't make you a fraud. You grew. You became stronger."

"Yeah", agreed Jason, carefully kissing the corner of Percy's mouth. "You've always been a hero. Even back then, because you protected Tyson. As the younger brother protected by his bigger sibling I have to tell you, you were the greatest hero when you protected him. You just became a hero on a different scale when you started protecting the world. Your... roots don't make that less."

Percy frowned confused and doubtful. "You're not... even... surprised. Or... disgusted."

"Jason isn't the only one who figured it out", offered Nico softly. "I saw your scars. I know what battle scars look like and too many of yours aren't from battles. It's not a surprise and just like Jason just said, it's not something that makes you any less amazing and beautiful."

Percy bit his lips so hard they nearly split as he felt the tears welling up in his eyes. "...Cuddles?"

His boyfriends laughed hoarsely and the three boys fell into one heap of limbs. All three were feeling drained and vulnerable after this soul-bearing and all three soaked up the comfort and love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is about 60% smut, really. Nico's all caught up with his reading, we're having a time-skip and the three of them are trying out how they work in the BDSM department. There will be spankings, sex-toys, a tied-up Percy and looots of naughty fun ;)


	14. How to Make a Hero Submit

_Chapter 14: How to Make a Hero Submit_

Lord Triton was utterly terrifying it he wanted to be and both Jason and Nico started steering clear off the pool as long as Percy wasn't there. But over the past three months of dating, the threats against Nico and Jason had finally subsided. People stopped giving them nasty looks as though they had defiled their most precious, cherished hero. Said looks and shovel talks had also helped Percy realize that he was loved. The school, they chose to stick with him. He still had some self-esteem issues but so far he seemed to be on a better track, the support of his friends helped. Percy still was marveling at the fact that his friends truly did have his back. They had not just threatened Nico and Jason on his behalf – even though he had explicitly asked them not to threaten his boyfriends – but they had also put a lot of effort into helping him get better. He had a couple more meetings with not just Chariclo as the counselor but also with Hestia who sort of was a trained psychiatrist, apparently. Well, why not, gods had time after all. She was great and a great help and she had encouraged him to start up a group therapy, because Percy and Jason were by far not the only demigods who had suffered in the mortal world at the hands of mortal parents or stepparents. Turned out she was right and by Percy and Jason leading the group, others felt more inclined and safer to open up and join them. And among all those others, some with far more horrible stories than Percy's, he even felt safe himself to actually talk about it. About something he had barely been able to whisper to the two boys he loved three months ago. He really did feel good about himself, for the first time in too many years. He was _happy_. He started believing that his friends won't drop him, he had _two_ caring boyfriends who loved him and cherished him and were officially out of the doghouse by now.

"You look good, Percy", stated Hestia with a kind smile.

"Yeah. Nick and Jay are real good at forcing me to have a 'healthy sleeping schedule' and with both their cute puppy eyes, I spend far less time training. I mean, I'm still training more time than my team, but less than before", replied Percy, returning the smile.

Hestia looked pleased by that, nodding slowly. "Jason, he was already good for you, but it seems that Jason and Nico joining forces was what you needed. I do like the irony."

"Irony?", asked Percy very confused, curled together on the couch.

"Your fathers, my brothers, they are... when combined, they're explosive. They bring out the worst in one another", elaborated Hestia fondly. "But you three – their sons – you bring out the best in one another. You make each other happy. Better. Stronger. You're the opposite of your fathers."

Percy grinned a little at that, cheeks heating up. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Very well. Now, if there's nothing else you'd like to talk about, I believe our session is over", announced Hestia with a look at the clock. "I am meeting Demeter for coffee..."

"Oh, then have fun", grinned Percy as he jumped off the couch. "Have a nice day!"

She smiled after the cheerful boy, happy to see the smiles be real and the joy being so radiant. On his way back, Percy took a detour to check on the cheerleaders, knowing they were still training. Silena was a good and kind leader. Hazel and Bianca were laughing and whispering with Piper and Calypso. The former ghost and the titan's daughter got along surprisingly well. Perhaps because both felt a bit out of place at times – one having been dead and the other not being the daughter of a god but of a titan. Silena clapped loudly once to announce the end of training and Percy barely had time to dodge before Calypso attached herself to one of his arms and Bianca took his other. He was good friends with Calypso – maybe not as close as many of the others, but she would forever be bound to him in gratitude for Percy and Leo had been on the quest to free her from Ogygia and bring her to Novus Olympus. She cherished the two of them like precious pearls of friendship.

"I was planning a sailing trip for the summer and who would be better for my little crew than the son of Poseidon?", chimed Calypso with a smile as the three walked together. "What do you say? I might even consider allowing you to take your two pets, as long as they behave."

"Something tells me you're not referring to Blackjack and Mrs. O'Leary", snorted Percy.

"Of course not. I mean the oversized puppies that follow you everywhere", huffed Calypso.

"Boyfriends. They are called boyfriends", chuckled Percy and rolled his eyes. "But a sailing trip sounds... really damn amazing. I'll ask them. Who else?"

"Leo, obviously because he's our sweetheart, and Hazel because Leo actually had fifty percent good taste, and their oversized puppy", stated Calypso. "Rachel too. And Bianca and Piper, so apparently also Reyna and Annabeth. Though I do mind their kittens far less than your puppies."

Percy snorted amused, eyes sparkling. "Sounds like a nice plan, Cally. I'm in."

Calypso and Bianca exchanged a look because the titan's daughter said her goodbyes and headed to get a shower. Percy and Bianca continued on their own, in a slow pace and in silence, until Percy grew a bit suspicious of said silence. Raising one eyebrow, Percy turned toward her.

"What's on your mind, Bia? You look worried", stated Percy concerned.

"Haven't spoken with Annabeth in two days", sighed Bianca miserably.

"Why?", asked Percy very confused. "She loves you. You adore her."

"And then I decided to fess up. I... told her, two nights ago, that... I was... uh, you know", elaborated Bianca, looking around in paranoia. "She didn't take it too well... has been avoiding me since then."

"That's... not like Annabeth", stated Percy with a frown. "I could talk to her?"

"I had kind of hoped you'd say that", admitted Bianca sheepishly. "Please? I mean, if anyone can explain things, it's probably you, since... your boyfriend was, you know, too."

Percy laughed and nudged her. "I'll take care of things. How about you go to your room and cook Annabeth's favorite? It'll help put her in a good mood. I'll make sure she'll be there."

Bianca looked doubtful, but if there was one thing she had learned in Novus Olympus, it was that Percy Jackson was very good at convincing people. Tilting his head, Percy took a turn toward Annabeth's room. He had plans to go meet Jason and Nico at Jason's room, who had convinced Frank and Leo to go and take Hazel out tonight so they could have the room to themselves. But friend-troubles had priority over this; Nico and Jason would wait for him. Besides, they didn't have any real plans – they weren't going anywhere, they'd just stay in all night, or so Nico had said.

"Annie, we need to talk about your girlfriend", declared Percy as he entered her room.

"Yes, please. Talk some sense into the silly thing", sighed Reyna nearly pleadingly. "Piper has been planning a double-date for the four of us for like a week and now suddenly Annabeth doesn't even talk to Bianca. We like Bianca. Bianca is good for Annabeth. They need to make up."

"Personally, we already tried", offered Rachel as she got up from her own bed. "Please, try."

Reyna and Rachel waved at him on their way out, leaving Percy alone with a quite obviously moping Annabeth. Once the door closed behind the other two girls, Percy sat down next to Annabeth. He reached out and started caressing her hair soothingly.

"It's not her fault she died", started Percy softly.

"Of course not", huffed Annabeth, sounding nearly offended.

"Okay", nodded Percy, frowning thoughtful. "So... What's the problem? Is it too creepy?"

"It's kind of creepy", admitted Annabeth slowly. "But that's not the problem."

"Talk to me. I know what you're going through", requested Percy as he laid down next to her.

"You don't. That's the problem", pointed Annabeth out, sounding a bit bitter.

"Heh?", asked Percy mighty confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You knew", whispered Annabeth a bit accusingly. "You knew even before you got together with Nico. You knew right away what you were getting into, Percy."

"And you didn't. And that's... making you angry?", asked Percy, trying to detect the problem. "I mean, would you have chosen differently if you knew? Would you have not gotten together?"

"That is _also_ not the point!", groaned Annabeth annoyed. "How do you not get it?"

"Because you're not _saying_ it!", exclaimed Percy a little annoyed himself.

"I know that you didn't learn because Nico trusted you with it but because you were on the quest. But still...", sighed Annabeth softly, burying her face in her pillow.

"...Oh", whispered Percy as realization dawned on him. "It's not about her having been dead. It's about her waiting three months to tell you about it."

Annabeth nodded slowly, turning to look at Percy with sad eyes. "Nearly four months, Percy. We've been dating for nearly four months. And she only tells me now. She said she loved me two months ago. But... she didn't love me enough to tell me the truth, or what?"

"Annie, that's... not it", sighed Percy softly. "This was supposed to be a... secret. _No one_ was supposed to know that Nico and Bianca were once dead. If this got out, it'd be an outrage."

"But you and Thalia knew right from the start", pointed Annabeth out. "So, obviously you managed to keep the secret. How did Bianca not think I could keep her secret?"

"If I'd have to take a guess", drawled Percy thoughtful and rolled onto his back. "She was most likely unsure _how_ to say it at first. Then... she was probably scared of your reaction. And then it was already late and she feared exactly this. I'd also guess she tried to protect you."

"Protect me?", snorted Annabeth pointedly.

"How much did she tell you?", asked Percy softly.

"She died in the forties. Nico died shortly after her. The two spent seventy-something years bored in the underworld until they met Hazel who then hatched the plan to bring them back", replied Annabeth with a frown. "And she got you and Thalia dragged into that."

"She was killed by Zeus", corrected Percy, keeping his voice very soft. "During World War II, Zeus felt threatened by the children of Hades. If Bianca and Nico had joined their half-siblings, they would have overpowered Zeus and Hades could have overthrown him. He killed their mother first, then he killed Bianca and in the end, Nico... fell in the war without Zeus' doing. So, if I'd have to guess, she's trying to protect you from Zeus, because Zeus likes destroying those in his path. Nico tends to keep me closer too whenever he sees Zeus, that heroic idiot."

"...Oh", whispered Annabeth, averting her eyes.

"Zeus took her mother, he took her life and now Bianca has to see the guy on a regular base. She loves you, she doesn't want for you to become a target, Annie", explained Percy softly. "But by being loved by Bianca and by knowing the truth, you might just catch his attention..." Annabeth still looked doubtful, so Percy patted her head as he sat up. "She _loves_ you. And you love her. Don't... just lock her out so you can pout in peace. Go to her. Talk to her. Give her a chance to explain."

"I don't know", huffed Annabeth stubbornly, still pouting.

"She's making her delicious spaghetti di mare for you", chimed Percy teasingly.

"...Well, maybe I could... talk to her", offered Annabeth with a frown.

"Perfect!", exclaimed Percy happily, getting up and pulling Annabeth with him.

He personally accompanied her to Bianca's room and only left after Annabeth entered said room. After that – when Bianca threw the most grateful smile into his direction – Percy turned to head to Jason's room. Time to see if his lovers were already waiting for him with whatever they had planned. When he tried the door however, it was locked. Frowning, Percy knocked.

"Jay? Nick? Just because I'm late, you don't have to lock me out!", complained Percy.

The lock clicked and Nico in a bathrobe opened it, one eyebrow raised. "Not why the door is locked. But there _will_ be consequences for making us wait, pet."

Percy raised both of his eyebrows at that. Pet? Pet sounded good. Pet was what they had agreed on to use as the nickname during sessions. He followed Nico inside and paused surprised at what he found there. Jason was already sitting on his bed, grinning like a lunatic when he saw Percy. There was rope laying next to Jason, as well as a few vibrators, dildos and butt-plugs.

"So this all means we're finally gonna have real sex?", asked Percy relieved.

"...Real sex? And what did we have before?", asked Nico pointedly.

"Some watered-down vanilla-stuff", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes.

They had taken things slow and had first slept with each other – all three of them together, that is – about a month ago. But, taking it slow and all, it had been simply sex. No spanking or anything else nice and kinky. Percy had been waiting for this day for months now. He had never suffered balls as blue as they were right now, after such a long painful wait. Nico huffed and smacked Percy's butt once to urge him on to go inside while Nico locked the door again.

"You haven't done this properly", sighed Nico, looking very frustrated and annoyed. "You didn't have real rules, things like punishments happened on a whim, you had no... setting, no limits for when your sessions were over, you didn't even have a gods damned safeword!"

"And that's only the cliff-notes of the preaching I got earlier", whispered Jason to Percy.

Nico glared pointedly at them both as he knelt down behind Percy on the bed. "What you did wasn't safe. Neither mentally nor physically. Not even knowing when to expect a punishment is crazy."

"Nick? We know. I mean, you gave us both that scolding like half a dozen times ever since you read yourself into proper behavior and etiquette and whatnot", pointed Percy out.

"I know, pet", whispered Nico as he cupped Percy's cheek. "But it pains me to think that the two of you used to push each other's limits and hurt each other without even knowing. You understand?"

Percy averted his eyes, because he did understand it. They had spent hours by now, discussing this and formulating rules, picking a safeword, negotiating who was comfortable with what. And Jason had admitted that sometimes the fear of having pushed Percy too far and _actually_ hurting him in a not-pleasurable way had driven him in a panic. Percy didn't want that, of course. And Percy also had to learn that he didn't have to take whatever his dom saw fit.

"Yes, Master Nico. I'm sorry", sighed Percy, tilting his head to kiss Nico softly.

"Good pet", praised Nico, patting Percy's hair. "Now, who remembers the safeword?"

"Olympus", echoed Jason and Percy at once.

"Good boys", smirked Nico as he took the rope. "Arms behind your back, pet."

Percy obeyed and crossed his arms behind his back, waiting for Nico to tie his hands. They knew Percy liked being helpless – as long as it was in a safe environment and with the lovers he trusted. Nico kissed Percy's neck as he tied the rope tightly but not uncomfortably so.

"So... What's the game play?", asked Jason curiously, rocking back and forth on his knees.

"Our precious little pet will be good and stay right here", stated Nico firmly as he lubed up two fingers and one of the larger vibrators, slowly scissoring Percy.

"O—Okay...", drawled Jason out, watching suspiciously. "And what do _we_ do?"

"We – and by we I mean me – are going to punish _you_ ", stated Nico simply as he very carefully and slowly pushed the vibrator into Percy, making their sub whimper. "For doing a half-baked job as Percy's dom and putting yourself under so much emotional stress."

Percy settled down a little, sitting comfortably on the pillows, as he watched Nico and Jason. The Italian knelt on the bed with his back straight, making him look more imposing as he grasped Jason's chin and forced the blonde to look up at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"I don't—I'm not... a sub. I'm a _dom_ ", argued Jason, trying to back off.

Nico wrapped one arm around Jason's waist to hold him in place, eyes dark and hungry as he stared at the blonde like he was a piece of delicious prey and Nico was the predator. "Yes, you are. You're Percy's dom. But you are _my_ sub. You will submit, but only to _me_."

Percy gulped very hard, cock twitching as he watched the two of them. This wasn't just to punish Jason, as Nico had claimed before. This was also for Percy. During their lengthy negotiations – and scoldings from Nico – Percy had protested the loudest. He didn't need a safeword, he could easily take whatever Jay and Nick would want to do, there was no need for rules, he'd take any punishment for whatever they saw as a reason to punish him. Right now, Nico had put Percy into the position of the silent observer. It was hot. The way Nico intimidated Jason, forced him into submission. But only because Percy knew Jason wanted this too – Jason knew the safeword, he'd just have to utter it and Nico would instantly back off so even though Jason protested, deep down he wanted that. The thought of this happening without rules and borders would make Percy's stomach knot probably, because there would be quite the rape-y vibe to this. Sitting here, watching how Nico grasped Jason by the neck and forced him down onto all four, it was hot. For the first time, it dawned on Percy why Jason had been so worried and why Nico had been so upset.

"I get it now", whispered Percy, catching Nico's attention just as the Italian placed the first hit on Jason's butt. "Just... Just because _I_ know what I like and want doesn't mean you can look into my head to know what I'm really consenting to or not..."

Nico smiled at him gently as he served a row of blows to Jason's slowly red-turning ass. "Good boy. Someone seems to have learned their lesson then. And how are you doing, Jason?"

"I – ouch – regret – ouch – bottling things up", whined Jason between hard slaps as he received his first ever spanking. "I know I should have talked to Percy about my fears a—and looked for a way to establish boundaries before, instead of keeping my worries to myself. I regret!"

Nico looked utterly entertained and pleased as he continued with the last row of hard hits. They had agreed that when a spanking was earned, it'd be twenty-five hits. Percy winced on Jason's account, knowing his blonde wasn't used to a good, hard spanking. But the way Jason was squirming and how red his ass was made Percy _very_ eager for his own punishment. Especially when adding the vibrator that was mercilessly buzzing against Percy's prostate and the ropes stopping him from masturbating. Nico was _evil_. Percy loved him even more than before.

"There's a good boy", hummed Nico pleased, caressing Jason's sore butt when he was done. "Very good. Now, you will not bottle your feelings and fears up inside anymore, right? Especially not when it concerns our sessions. Now that you were so good, you deserve a... treat."

Jason stared up at him stunned as Nico very slowly laid him out in front of Percy. Percy gulped and blushed as he watched, Jason sprawled out in his whole length and Nico hovering over him, kissing him deeply while fidgeting with the lube. This was torture. Just sitting there, helplessly watching while Jason got all the punishment and all the love. Nico was such a sadist!

"If you don't cease the whiling and pouting, I will be forced to gag you, Perseus", warned Nico.

Percy blinked and blushed. "Uhm... didn't mean to make a sound. Sorry, Master Nico."

"Apology accepted, pet. But more sounds and you get gagged", stated Nico firmly. "Just be good and keep quiet while I'm busy with Jason and I promise, you'll get enough love and attention after."

Percy nodded eagerly at that, obediently watching how Nico lubed his fingers up and slowly trailed them down Jason's chest. The blonde shuddered at that, eyes intently following the movement. There was a nervous flutter in his chest as he reluctantly spread his legs some. Red colored his cheeks as he looked at Nico nearly shyly. The Italian raised one questioning eyebrow.

"I just... never...", started Jason unsure. "I'm nervous, okay?"

Nico laughed amused and captured Jason's lips in a kiss. "It's okay. I'll be gentle, princess."

The scowl on Jason's face was downright adorable. Or at least that was what Jason saw in the look on Nico's face. That expression only made Jason's scowl deepen. How dare Nico found him adorable! He was the powerful son of Jupiter, greatest Roman hero—oh gods, that felt good. Jason gasped and arched his back as Nico worked two fingers into him while Nico's soft lips wrapped around Jason's cock, head bobbing in the same rhythm as the fingers worked his hole. Nico added two more fingers, very carefully spreading them and thrusting deeper. Nico's touch was so cool and cunning and Jason loved it. Gasping again, Jason turned to look at Percy whose own cock was leaking a lot of pre-cum at this point, straining against Percy's stomach. He could see the despair in Percy's eyes, knowing his cute little sub _really_ wanted to be touched right about now. Jason didn't get to worry too much about Percy, because Nico pulled his fingers out and grasped Jason's thighs. Biting his lips, Jason stared up at his boyfriend, slowly winding his arms around the Italian's neck. Nico smiled down at him and leaned in for a tender, deep kiss as he eased his cock in, stretching Jason more than the blonde had ever been stretched before. Sure, he had fingered himself, out of sheer curiosity after he saw how much Percy enjoyed it. But he had never bottomed before. He decided that he liked it. Not more than topping, but he did enjoy the feeling of Nico's pulsing, hard cock, forcing its way into him, stretching him out. Jason possessively wrapped his legs around Nico's hips, pulling him closer and deeper. Nico moved his hips slow, thrusting deep. Jason slowly fell apart beneath him as Nico fucked him, thrusts growing harder and sharper until Jason saw stars. He would have come hard, if not for Nico's hard grasp on the base of his cock.

"No, my darling", whispered Nico, voice dark and velvety. "You are not allowed to come yet."

Jason found himself whining in a similar way to the one he loved so much to hear from Percy. A blush lit up his face at that realization. Nico looked very pleased by that before he thrust harder and then came deep inside Jason. A slightly high-pitched sound escaped Jason's lips at that weird, new feeling. His face lit up bright-red at _that_ feeling, Jason pulling Nico close enough to bury his face in the nape of Nico's neck. The Italian chuckled softly and kissed Jason's head.

"Be good and clench down", ordered the son of Hades as he pulled out slowly.

Another squeak as Nico pushed one of the plugs into Jason's ass. The Italian patted Jason's ass in praising as he got up and grasped Percy to pull him into a deep, passionate kiss, Percy mewling.

"What's next, master?", panted Jason as he wiggled around, adjusting to the plug.

"First of all, our little pet earned himself a spanking for being late", drawled Nico.

He adjusted Percy to lay sprawled out on his lap. Unlike Jason, Percy took his spanking with gusto, moaning and whimpering shamelessly at every hard, well-placed hit. Under the harsh spanking, Percy was slowly turning into pudding, ass red, eyes half-lid and pants escaping him. Jason's eyes watched sharply, enjoying to see a spanking from this perspective for once. When Nico was done, he very carefully adjusted Percy to lay with his head in Nico's lap and his ass pointing at Jason.

"Come here and join me. How about you get started on our pet now, Jay? Fuck him a bit while he sucks me back to full hardness and then we... share him?", suggested Nico softly.

Both Percy and Jason nodded wildly and eagerly, making Nico smile in amusement. Nico very carefully guided Percy to kneel between Jason and Nico, then grabbed Percy's neck to pull him down until his lips brushed against Nico's soft cock. Eagerly, Percy opened up and started licking and sucking on it. Jason all the while lined up behind him, pulling the vibrator out to replace it with his own cock. Jason and Percy heaved sighs as they were united like that. Percy sucked Nico's cock in, twirling his tongue around it and slowly making it hard again while Jason fucked into him hard and desperate for his own release. Nico raised one amused eyebrow while patting Percy's hair.

"If you come before me, you will receive another spanking, Jason", warned Nico amused.

Jason paused and cursed softly. Nico laughed at it, helping Percy to sit up and lean against Jason. He grasped Percy's legs and spread them, wrapping them around his waist, slowly lining up with Jason's cock and pushing in too. Percy gasped as he was stretched by two cocks and within minutes his two masters were fucking him hard and mercilessly, just the way he loved it. All he had to do was lay between them and enjoy it, loving the way Jason thrust against his sore ass. Aroused from everything he had witnessed, Percy was the first one to come. He gasped and collapsed breathlessly against Jason, waiting until both of his lovers filled him with their cum, more cum than ever before. He whimpered softly at that and watched out of the corner of his eyes how Nico grabbed a plug. Nearly instinctively did Percy clench down as his lovers pulled out, until Nico inserted the plug. Nico was the first to collapse on the bed, pulling Jason and Percy to rest their heads on his chest.

"You were both _very_ good. So precious and wonderful", whispered Nico in praise.

There were matching dopey grins on Jason's and Percy's faces as their eyes slowly closed and they dozed off to the sound of Nico's soothing and praising words, the feeling of Nico's fingers caressing their hair and lulling them into a comfortable, sleepy state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left! Calypso's sailing trip as a nice, fluffy way to end the story ;)


	15. Sailing into the Sunset

_Chapter 15: Sailing into the Sunset_

Calypso's planned little sailing trip had grown just a little too much. The boat Leo was supposed to put together would have been too small to hold eleven people, so somehow he ended up building an entire actual ship. It held six cabins in its belly – five bedrooms and one dining hall slash kitchen.

The past school year had been very stressful. With saving Bianca and Nico from the underworld, helping them adjust. Living with that constant hovering threat of Zeus, who did _not_ like their presence but wasn't stupid enough to act on that. All of Olympus had agreed to let the demigods off the hook, because Zeus had led to the children's early demise the first time around – and Zeus had acted without the consent of the other Olympians back then. There were still nasty glares from Zeus and that was sometimes quite the mental pressure. Then the disaster with Jason's and Nico's drunk kiss, adjusting to a new relationship. Also, opening up about fears and things the three of them had kept bottled up for years. There were still sometimes some trust issues due to that behind Percy's back kiss. Not even just from Percy being jealous, but also from Jason feeling bad about spending time alone with Nico, which put a strain on Jason's and Nico's relationship. Not to mention how hard it was to suddenly try and balance three people in a relationship, as well as all their extracurricular activities and sports teams. But Percy was pleased with the way they were handling things. There were always slips, set backs, problems, but between the three of them, they managed. It also helped that they had utterly amazing friends, who were eager to help them.

Still, after all the stress it was nice to have this relaxing vacation. Percy smiled lazily as he stretched out, arching his body as much as the two boys on either side of him allowed. Jason grunted annoyed, hugging Percy close and burying his nose in the black fluffy hair. Percy giggled a bit.

"Shush it, pillow", complained Jason sleepily. "Tired..."

Percy turned as much as possible so he could actually kiss Jason softly. The blonde hummed contently, yet he refused to open his eyes, instead tightening his grip on Percy. So their sex life was absolutely amazing and Nico had been a perfect addition to balance them, but damn their cuddling was even better. Especially after exhausting, long days, they all sought out the comfort of each other's arms. Smiling fondly, Percy nosed Jason's hair. The moment was pretty much perfect, at least until Nico next to them started trashing around wildly in his sleep. Instantly, Jason woke up fully. They were used to this by now. Nico was often plagued by nightmares, fueled from the war he had fought and the death he had endured. And last night, they had gathered together to watch some Marvel movies; _Captain America_ among them. The reminder of WWII and this eerily familiar feeling of being from that time, ripped out of it and put into today, it wasn't really a surprise that Nico would be having nightmares tonight. Percy crawled over Nico to sit on his other side and with Jason, they very carefully held Nico down so he wouldn't end up hurting himself or them.

"Nico, Niccoló Antonio di Angelo, wake up now, come on, Nick", called Percy out firmly.

"Nico, you're safe. You're with the ones that love you", assured Jason softly.

Nico's eyelids fluttered open, dark eyes darting around wildly and in a panic. It was a good thing Percy and Jason were both strong themselves and managed to keep him pinned until he was relatively calm again. Both Percy and Jason kept talking softly to him, about what they had been doing today, where he was, that it was all good. Nico was exhausted by the time he calmed down, eyes firmly closed and tear-streaks running down his cheeks. As soon as his boyfriends eased off, Nico curled in on himself and hid his face in the pillow. He hated being weak. He hated when his lovers saw him in such a weak state. It was the main problem Jason and Percy had with all of this. They knew how to handle Nico's panic-attacks and flashbacks, but they had yet to find a method to make Nico _allow_ them to handle it. Nico was always so embarrassed and awkward, claiming that as their dom, he should be in control, especially of himself, he should be the one to comfort them. Jason and Percy agreed on calling bullshit on that one. Grunting annoyed, Jason laid down behind Nico and wrapped his arms tightly around the Italian, hugging him close.

"You don't need to be embarrassed", chided Jason, comforting and annoyed at once. "We love you. We want to protect you too, idiot. So you will accept our love and care and cuddles. Percy?"

Percy hummed in agreement, cunningly sneaking in between Nico's arms until he peeked out at eye-level with the Italian, offering a gentle smile. "Hello, there. Are you feeling better?"

Nico nodded reluctantly, clearly still displeased. "I'm fine. It was just... the usual, you know... I'm sorry for waking you, my loves. I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, you didn't mean to suffer from PTSD? Well, then...", snorted Jason pointedly, forehead leaning against Nico's shoulder. "You don't need to apologize. We'll always be here for you."

Heaving a shaky breath, Nico wrapped his arms tightly around Percy's waist and pulling him even closer against his chest. "I know that. Somewhere, I know that. But I am... I want to be strong for you, not the other way around. We... should go back to sleep. Tomorrow is an early morning."

Sighing, Percy nodded as he locked eyes with Jason over Nico's shoulder. Both hugged Nico closer, cocooning him in the safety of his two boyfriends. Slowly, Nico's breath evened out until he fell asleep and not long after, Percy too went back to sleep. Only Jason stayed awake, watchful over his two lovers. He had never experienced what he felt for Nico. As much as he adored and loved Percy, with him he always felt the need to stand strong and protect his precious Sea Prince. Not because Percy was _weak_ , but because he tended to shoulder too much emotional baggage without allowing anyone to help him. While Nico was where Jason found someone to lean against. Well, both of them really. He knew Percy too enjoyed having Nico and Jason to lean against. Not to mention, Nico and Jason were a formidable team when it came to forcing Percy to relax and not overwork himself all the time. Still, Nico also offered that same firm strength and support to Jason. It was only fair that Jason offered Nico the same kind of strength and support. Ironically, it was mainly Percy who made it possible for Jason, because if there was one thing neither Nico nor Jason could deny, it were Percy's adorable begging kitten-eyes. So once Percy offered those to Nico, Nico begrudgingly accepted the support and love. Jason smiled gently, kissing the nape of Nico's neck.

"Sleep well, silly Ghost Brat", whispered Jason softly.

/break\

As expected, the next morning was an early one as Leo burst into the cabin, calling out loudly that Bianca and Frank had finished making breakfast and if they didn't want for Piper and Leo to eat it all, they better hurry. After receiving three pillows to the face, the Latino left again.

"Well then, time to get up", sighed Percy frustrated as he stood and got undressed.

Nico blinked blearily and adjusted to face Percy, watching with dark eyes how his gorgeous boyfriend got undressed. He nudged Jason until the blonde finally opened his eyes too and gave an appreciating sigh. Percy turned around to face them, both eyebrows raised pointedly.

"Will you get off the bed and get dressed too? If I don't hurry, then Leo will eat all the bacon himself and Piper will eat all the tiny sausages herself", complained Percy with a glare.

The mention of food was very alluring, so Nico and Jason reluctantly got out of bed and started stripping down themselves. Before Percy could get dressed, Jason wrapped his arms around Percy's waist and pulled him down onto the bed again. Percy yelped in protest, swatting at Jason's chest.

"Let me go! My bacon!", argued the son of Poseidon frustrated.

He yelped again as Nico smacked his butt once. "Yes. Beautiful bacon you got there, indeed."

"And the sausage", agreed Jason mischievously, wrapping his fingers around Percy's cock.

"Y—You utter perverts! I want _food_!", groaned Percy, thrusting into Jason's hand.

"Yes. I'm quite hungry too. I think I'll eat some bacon", hummed Nico wickedly.

He bit Percy's butt just as he knelt down behind Percy. Pulling the Sea Prince's ass apart, Nico licked the tight hole with gusto before thrusting his tongue in. Percy moaned loudly at that, nails digging into Jason's shoulders. Once the two had managed to get Percy fully hard and whining, they let go of him. They knew they had their lover eager for more now.

"I swear, if you're going to get breakfast now, I will end you", threatened Percy annoyed.

Jason laughed as he rolled them over so he could sit between Percy's legs, lifting them up so Jason had access to his greedily gaping hole. Percy gave a soft little sigh as Jason slid into him. Once the blonde was fully inside of him, Percy made to grab Jason's ass and pull his cheeks apart too.

"Why don't you join the fun, Nick?", offered Percy cheekily.

Jason sputtered and blushed, interrupting himself with a gasp as he felt Nico's tongue poke his hole too. Percy gave him a mischievous smile, urging him on to start moving. Jason did so, albeit a bit reluctant. Every now and again, he gave a startled yelp at something Nico's tongue did. The tongue retreated and was soon replaced with Nico's cock, making Jason choke a little. This was Jason's favorite position – having Percy's tight ass around his cock and Nico's cock up his ass. He smiled pleased as he buried his face in Percy's neck before biting and kissing said neck. While this was Jason's favorite, Percy preferred having one of them down his throat and the other up his ass and Nico loved it most when he and Jason were sharing Percy's hole. Not to say Jason didn't thoroughly enjoy getting a blowjob from Percy while Nico fucked their Sea Prince, or sharing Percy's tightness with Nico's cock. He yelped a bit as a particularly sharp thrust from Nico urged him on to fuck harder himself. Jason gladly obeyed and with a few awkward thrusts, they found their rhythm. Nico was the first to come, filling Jason with that strange warm sensation. Jason groaned roughly at the feeling, thrusting even harder and deeper, until he couldn't hold it anymore and came deep inside of Percy, grabbing the Sea Prince's cock to jerk it in shaky motions until Percy also came. The three ended up in a tangle of limbs, panting and gasping and grinning like maniacs.

"If... If Frank refuses to make me more bacon, you two are sleeping on the floor until we reach Egypt", panted Percy threateningly as he wiggled out from beneath them.

Nico and Jason exchanged pleased grins and high-fives before they got up and got dressed themselves. By the time the threesome entered the dining hall slash kitchen slash living room, everyone was already in the middle of eating. There were lots of couches set around the long table, to be adjusted in case of movie-nights like they had done yesterday. Bianca and Annabeth were holding hands beneath the table, even though they were facing away from each other; Annabeth talking to Piper and Reyna next to her, while Bianca was talking to Hazel, Rachel and Calypso. Leo was snuggled up between Hazel and Frank, half asleep and allowing Frank to hand-feed him.

"Ba—acon", whined Percy as he took his seat between Piper and Annabeth. "Please tell me there's still bacon left and Frank didn't feed it all to Leo!"

"We saved you some", chuckled Annabeth and pushed a plate toward him.

"I love you, Annie", sighed Percy relieved and kissed her cheek.

"How come you're that late for breakfast again?", asked Rachel skeptically.

"Those—Those perverted fiends distracted me", complained Percy, pointing at his boyfriends.

Jason sat down on Reyna's other side while Nico went to sit with his sisters, both the picture of innocence. Bianca snorted in disbelief and shook her head at her brother, who just smiled and stole a bagel off his older sister's plate. Sighing, Bianca leaned back, letting go of Annabeth's fingers in favor of laying her arm around her girlfriend's waist. She held a special kind of fondness for Percy ever since two months ago when the boy had essentially saved her relationship. To this day, Bianca didn't know what Percy had said to Annabeth – both of them refused to share it with Bianca – but whatever it was, it had made Annabeth listen to her with open ears and an open heart and after Bianca had apologized again, the blonde had accepted her back. Albeit there were amends to be made in the form of strawberry short-cakes and lots of pasta. The occasional strawberry short-cake also went to Percy in thanks. The son of Poseidon would preen at it every time, because he was officially accepted into the di Angelo family. The same went of course for Frank, Leo, Jason and Annabeth, but Percy was by now under special Bianca-protection.

"Don't tire him out too much", chided Bianca with a fierce glare. "If he spends the day sleeping away, you are in a lot of trouble, Niccoló. We have a tiresome day ahead of us."

They had left port in New York two weeks ago. They took breaks during evenings and nights, swimming in the water and with dolphins and whales – because there was a son of Poseidon on board their ship. Thanks to the magic of the so-called Argo II that Leo had built for their little cruise-trip, they were way faster than any regular ship and they were protected by the Mist. At the rate they were going, they expected to reach Venice this afternoon. It wasn't their final destination, but Jason, Percy and Annabeth had been very convincing in their request to see where their partners had grown up, so it had made the list of intended stops.

/break\

Once in Venice, their group split up – too many demigods in one place did attract monsters a bit too easily. With promises of kinky dirty sex happening in their family house, Bianca and Nico had managed to chase everyone aside from their partners away. It would be too hard to explain to them why no one in the neighborhood knew them or why their home was old and run-down. Hazel, Frank and Leo left for a date, while Reyna, Piper, Calypso and Rachel went to explore the city.

"We don't have to go", whispered Percy softly into Nico's ear as he hung off his boyfriend's arm.

Jason had gone ahead and was squeezing into Annabeth's space as the daughter of Athena was trying to video-chat with Luke and Thalia. Nico frowned as he turned to face Percy.

"You don't have to return to the place you once called home if it hurts you", elaborated the son of Poseidon, kissing Nico's temples. "You look gloomy and uncomfortable, Nick."

Nico forced a small smile as he pulled Percy close enough to properly kiss. "Thank you, doll. But... it's alright. These streets just... harbor a lot of old memories and seeing them changed so drastically over the years, it makes my heart ache. It's... good to see it though and I do want to see whether or not our family home still stands and perhaps... hear... what happened to our family."

Instinctively, Percy snuggled up closer into Nico's arms. That was the moment Jason decided to join them again, sneaking underneath Nico's other arm and grinning broadly at the two.

"Thals is pouting because she wasn't asked to come along", chimed Jason teasingly. "Well, that's what she gets for not getting along with Calypso. I for my part really enjoy this vacation!" For a moment, the blonde paused and took in his lovers. "...I feel like I missed something."

"Nothing much, babe", chuckled Nico amused. "Come on, we're nearly there."

Bianca was fidgeting as she paused in front of a beautiful but run-down villa. Annabeth had a supportive hand resting in the small of Bianca's back. Nico, Jason and Percy joined them, all five staring up at the impressive house. An elderly man walked out to them after a while and for a split-moment, Jason feared they'd get screamed at for loitering.

"We're sorry, we didn't mean to disturb you", smiled Annabeth in a pacifying manner.

"Ah, tourists?", asked the elderly man with a toothy smile, before eying Nico and Bianca. "Or distant relatives of the owners? You two, is like looking at phantoms."

"Phantoms?", asked Bianca confused, looking at Nico doubtfully.

The elderly man looked excited for a moment before he disappeared inside. When he returned, he held a black and white photo in his hand, the glass covered in a sheet of dust. He brushed the dust off, revealing a picture of Nico and Bianca, a few years younger, sitting in the middle of the portrait, with one beautiful woman on Nico's side and one on Bianca's, while an elderly man stood behind them. There was a fond and pained expression on the man's face as he held the picture up to them.

"Like phantoms", repeated the man, pointing at the photo and then at Bianca and Nico.

"Uhm... Yes, we're... we're distant relatives", nodded Bianca, trying to fabricate a story. "Our grandfather was the younger brother of Antonio di Angelo, half-brother only though."

"If we... may ask, how do you know the di Angelos?", asked Nico, eyes on his mother's face.

"Tragic family", sighed the man and stepped in. "Come, come. Sit, have a coffee, I will tell you!"

The five teenagers eagerly agreed and Percy, Jason and Annabeth took everything in with awe in their eyes, while Nico and Bianca marveled at how little had changed inside the house.

"My name is... Thalia", offered Bianca after a moment. "This is my brother... Luke. Our friends Jason, Percy and Annabeth. We're on vacation here and wanted to see the old family home."

"How _do_ you know the di Angelos?", asked Annabeth this time as they sat down. "You made it sound like you're not related, but... you keep their family pictures around?"

The man laughed heartedly and shook his head as he went to fetch an already made coffee, one half-empty mug and five fresh ones. "I'm Alberto, I was the... housekeeper and the private nurse of Elena di Angelo." He settled down with them and handed out coffee, a pained smile on his lips as he pointed at the photo. "That is her. Elena di Angelo, the... last di Angelo. The di Angelos used to be an important family in the nineteenth century, you see."

"Really?", asked Percy surprised, eying Nico, while Jason elbowed the Italian.

"Yes", chuckled Alberto, taking his coffee. "They used to be influential, a great import and export family business with fleets. They surely were no Medici, but they were important and wealthy. Their luck ran out with the last century, I am afraid. Niccoló di Angelo is when the family's bad luck started, he fell in the first World War and left his children this very estate and a slowly crumbling family business. His son Antonio fought in the very same war and came back with bad injuries, never to fully recover. The daughter Bianca died as a child. Bound to his home, Antonio fell in love with a servant girl – clearly it had been expected for a war hero and man from a rich family to find a matching wife. You can see how the family slowly lost its grip on influence, si? Antonio himself had two children, but no son. No heir to the name. Those two women here, Maria and her younger sister Elena. Maria died tragically, hit by lightning – a frightening story, no? Maria herself had two children by an unnamed father, most likely the kind of man who has their fun and disappears afterward, Bianca Francesca and Niccoló Antonio, last of the di Angelo line. The daughter died – also hit by lightning and people started speaking of a curse at this point. The son fell in the second World War. When Elena's parents died of old age, she was the only living di Angelo left. Yet... she never married, never had children of her own. I became her caretaker in the seventies, when she slowly started losing her grip on reality. Dementia, you see. When she died in the nineties, she left the estate to me, seeing as she had no living family. At least not... that anyone new."

"W—Well", drawled Bianca slowly out as Alberto gave her a curious look. "Grandfather was... not conceived in marriage so he was kept a secret. After all, as you just said, back then the family still had a reputation to lose. But... we had hoped to find living relatives here, to be honest..."

"I'm afraid you're too late for that. I'm sorry", said Alberto solemnly.

Nico sighed and averted his eyes to look at the ground. "Was she... happy? Elena?"

"I suppose", shrugged Alberto with a frown. "She was a cheerful woman. Spirited. But toward the end, she started... hallucinating. Spoke of monsters and gods. How god had killed her sister."

A pained, sarcastic smile found its way onto Nico's face. Of course it sounded like crazy nonsense to mortals. But that meant aunt Elena had never forgotten about them. His throat felt tight.

"Thank you", whispered Nico. "For having us and talking to us."

"There is a family mausoleum on the property, if you wish to pay your respects?", offered Alberto.

"That would... be lovely, thank you", nodded Bianca and stood.

Minutes later and the six of them stood inside a mausoleum – Niccoló di Angelo, his wife Mirella next to him, their children Bianca and Antonio di Angelo, Antonio's wife Francesca on his other side, beneath their two daughters Maria and Elena di Angelo and... and the graves of Bianca Francesca and Niccoló Antonio di Angelo. It was eerie to stand in front of their own graves. For long, solemn moments, they stayed in front of the graves and stared at them, mourning in silence.

"Do... Do you have children?", asked Annabeth after a while. "I mean, who..."

"My daughter lives in Canada. When my time has come, the estate will go to her", admitted Alberto. "I'm sure she will respect the... family and their gaves."

/break\

Nico marveled at the two boys in his arms. The strength they were able to give him. Standing in front of his own grave three days ago had left its mark on him, but Jason and Percy kept hugging and kissing him. Supporting him. They gave him strength, their strength. He smiled faintly as he kissed first Percy's head and then Jason's, both barely stirring in their sleep as they snuggled closer to him at the contact. They had waltzed into his life and made it so much brighter and better.

"Will you wake your two koalas there? Egypt is waiting and if Percy isn't the first one leaving this ship, we will have a grumpy Carter at our hands", complained Leo.

Grunting at the Latino, Nico carefully shook his two lovers until they woke. They were meeting the Kanes in Kairo today and Percy had been looking forward to this for weeks now. Honestly, this vacation truly was a great idea. As their clothes were straightened, they headed out. Or, more accurately, Percy headed out and pulled his boyfriends along by the hands. Jason smiled gently as he watched Percy's enthusiasm. It was burning hot outside and Jason instantly wanted to return to their cabin to snuggle up to Nico's wonderfully cold skin. But there were Sadie and Carter, waving at them at the port. Percy let go of Nico and Jason in favor of jumping Carter, while Sadie and Annabeth hugged and instantly started talking. Obediently, Jason and Nico fell back some and followed after Percy and Carter, allowing Percy the space to talk to his long-distance-best-friend.

"You doing okay, Ghosty?", asked Jason as their group walked the streets of Kaito.

"Thanks to you, I am", whispered Nico, eyes trained on Percy's back as he smiled and laid one arm around Jason to pull his blonde closer. "I love you, Jason. And Percy. I love you both."

"Sap", muttered Jason flustered, earning an elbow to the ribs from Piper.

"You're supposed to say 'I love you too'", corrected Piper amused.

"How about you help us forge a plan to escape Sadie's and Annabeth's plans of spending the day at a museum? Because I want to see pyramids", interrupted Leo with a frown.

"We could simply stay longer and do both", offered Calypso casually.

"That sounds like a brilliant plan", agreed Reyna pleased. "Because I'd love to see both."

"And shopping", grunted Frank. "Hazel wanted to see the market, right?"

"Maybe we can get authentic robes for Leo", grinned Hazel mischievously and nodded.

"Is there something like Mount Olympus around here?", asked Rachel curiously. "Some kind of... place where we could see the gods? I want to meet Horus. Carter always complains so much."

"I'm afraid there isn't", huffed Carter as he and Percy fell back to join their friends. "But there's still enough to show you guys around here. And I'm not always complaining about Horus."

"Not always but often enough", snickered Sadie with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh. Carter has a crush on a god", nodded Bianca in understand. "Poor lad."

"I—I do _not_ ", hissed Carter with a glare.

When Sadie just snickered louder, Carter started chasing his sister. Percy smiled fondly as he went to join Nico and Jason, sneaking between them. Right now, life was perfect. He didn't know how it may continue, but after summer, school would start again and life at Novus Olympus Academy was never dull, that much was for sure. Especially not with the friends and lovers he had.

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it. The end. Thanks for reading and even more so for reviewing! I hope you had fun with this because I sure did ;) And I hope to see you around in my next project, whatever that may be~

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, it's gonna be different from what I've done so far. Next chapter will give more insight into how Novus Olympus works, aka the life of Golden Couple Jercy, as well as another scene on Nico during WWII! But not to worry, our three boys will meet all too soon ;)


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